Ministry of Environment and Forest, and the National Green Tribunal are competing between themselves to block industrialisation of India, to shut down existing industries, to stop construction, so as to push all Indians back into caves, to keep the environment in pristine state. For whom, God only knows. These worthies are themselves enjoying the tax payer funded secure jobs, work out of air conditioned offices, live in air conditioned tax payer provided mansions; but are out to make sure that no other Indian has a job or a house to live in. If only they could ever measure their own personal carbon foot prints and do something about it.
What they are doing will become clear from a horror tale a reader has sent from Meghalaya:
“A company got mining rights for some mineral in Meghalaya with a pre-condition to set up a cement manufacturing unit in the state. The company invested Rs 1000 Cr for the cement plant (apparently the mined mineral is Gypsum which is used for cement manufacturing). When the company approached Min of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for their clearance on mining area; they were asked for compensatory afforestation on a land identified by the state government. The state Govt identified land and like all land in Meghalaya, that land also belonged to some scheduled tribals. The company tried purchasing that land from land owners but as per a law, land belonging to STs cannot be sold to non STs. The company inducted one ST on their board of directors and purchased land on his name with an internal agreement done to this effect. MoEF was still not satisfied and insisted that the land must be on the name of the company and not on one of its directors. The company approached state Govt to help. State Govt said we can acquire this land for you. The company readily consented (as the land was with company only). Since then new land acquisition act has come into picture and the drama of social impact assessment, environmental impact assessment and so on is going on. The company is running from pillar to post for having spent Rs 1000 Cr in the last 5 years without any fruits and our esteemed bureaucrats are showing one new rule everyday.
The questions are:
1. the land is needed for compensatory afforestation so why are you so much bothered about title of the land. the land owner is ready to transfer the land to Govt but the Govt wants land to be transferred only from Company to Govt (and NOT from a Tribal to Govt)
2. the land is to be used for afforestation. Why environment impact assessment for such “green” cause?
3. The land owner is a director in a Rs. 1000 Cr company. Why the hell do you need social impact assessment for taking his land?
We are a country of morons…and shall ever remain so.”
(To read Anang Pal Malik’s article on National Green Tribunal, click here.-Ed)
(To read how Environmental zealot Jairam Ramesh destroyed Indian growth story, click here.-Ed)
