Metro projects should be covered under EIA: Groups
Hydertabad: Citizen groups on Thursday appealed
to Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam
Ramesh to bring metro rail projects under the purview of the
environment impact assessment (EIA) for mandatory clearance.
This would ensure that the decisions on such projects
are taken on the basis of their economic environmental and
social impacts, Citizens for a Better Public Transport
Hyderabad, National Alliance for People's Movement (NAPM) and
Environment Support Group (ESG), Bengaluru, said here.
Citizens for a Better Public Transport, represented by
C Ramchandriah, Medha Patkar of NAPM and ESG's Leo F Saldanha
said during the past few years they have been raising several
issues related to the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project.
They said several states and cities in India are vying
with each other to build metro rails regardless of their need,
appropriateness or affordability. They never gave such
priority to build and strengthen the existing public transport
systems and provide safe sidewalks to common people.
India has taken the regressive step of exempting metro
projects from the need to secure environmental clearances as
per the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. The
authorities in different cities, therefore, do not find it
obligatory to share any information pertaining to these
projects, the groups' representatives noted.
The public has thus been denied the right to know and
participate in issues related to such mega projects, they
said.
Bureau Report