TRS government's silence over draft Environmental Impact Assessment notification questioned

 Hyderabad: Former Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday questioned the silence of the State government over Draft EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) notification, according to environmentalists, if adopted it has power to 'legitimise violations' that could seriously impact nation's ecology balance.

Speaking during a webinar organised by Dr Marri Channa Reddy Memorial Trust (to discuss the Draft EIA Notification 2020 and amendments to the process of environment impact assessment), Jairam Ramesh said that Chief Ministers from several States wrote to Union Minister for Environment, Prakash Javadekar, against EIA2020, he found that Telangana's Chief Minister yet to come up with response.

He said that the response on the issue from former MP K Kavitha, who championed environmental issues, is still awaited.

Senior Congress leader and former Vice-Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority Marri Shashidhar Reddy said that all sections of society will be impacted and future generations will have to bear the brunt of the violations that the EIA is trying to legitimise. He felt that it will be the poorest of the poor and marginalised who will suffer the most. He also noted that in spite of the directions of courts, EIA draft was not made available in local languages for the benefit of the most vulnerable people.

Noted environmentalist, Prof Purushotham Reddy also raised concern about the provisions in the EIA 2020 and how these provisions reduce the scope for public participation. Apart from senior Congress leaders Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Dr J Geeta Reddy, Vamshi Chand Reddy, A Shyam Mohan and party spokesperson G Niranjan, activists and experts expressed their views on the issue.