The Environment Impact Assessment is the process by which the impact of a development proposal upon the environment is assessed. In other words, this process is the bridge between public stakeholders and the industrialists through public consultations. The most important aspect of this process is to balance the development while giving due regards to environment and human right concerns.

The latest EIA notification 2006 is aimed to be replaced with the proposed EIA 2020, 12 out of the 14 clauses are underlined to be amended by way of the proposed notification. Following are some of the major reasons why the Draft EIA, 2020 needs to be re-examined.

The EIA,2020 is welcomed only by the people from the business and industrial sector who will be able to start industries very easily. Though unemployment in certain areas might be mitigated by this, their health and the environmental health of that area will also deteriorate with time.

Firstly, the post-facto environmental clearance would mean industries violating the environment act could still be allowed to function. This would be contrary to both the precautionary principle and sustainable development. The recent incident involving styrene gas leak at Vishakhpatnam which claimed the lives of 11 people and left 5000 more injures is proof that such post-facto clearance would have disastrous consequences.

Secondly, the reduction of time period for the notice for public hearing puts the stakeholders in jeopardy and allows little to no public participation.

Thirdly, the S.14(2) of draft seeks to exempt a long list of projects from the ambit of public consultation. This includes hazardous chemical projects such as Metallurgical industry(toxic metals), Bio medical waste treatment plant, etc. The vulnerable local communities bearing the brunt of such projects are left with no voice.

Ultimately, the Draft EIA 2020 is seeking to dilute the purpose of the impact assessment and if implemented does not just have a disastrous effect on just the environment but also on people. It is a regressive shift from its earlier version. The primacy of environment concerns is felt majorly during the recent past and enabling the destruction of the ecological balance to vide this proposed notification would have dangerous implications.

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