Cement, Energy and Environment

(vii) The following category of new and/or expansion projects/activities shall be prohibited in the identified Ecologically Sensitive Area except those cases which have been received by EACc/SEIAAs before the date of putting HLWG report on the website of the Ministry, i.e. 17.4.2013 and which are pending with EACs/MoEF or SEACs/SEIAAs. Such projects will be dealt under the guidelines and rules applicable at the time of application before the respective EACs/ (a) Mining, quarrying and sand mining (b) Thermal Power Plants (c) Building and construction projects of 20,000 sq. m. area and above {d) Township and area development projects with an area of 50 ha and above and I or (e) Red category of industries (viii) Projects I activities which are not specifically prohibited under the ESA shall be scrutinized and assessed for cumulative impacts and development needs, before granting envi ronment clearance. (ix) The Forests Rights Act shall be observed in letter and spirit. The consent of the Gram Sabha for projects in ESA will be mandatory as recommended by the HLWG. 3. The boundary of the Ecologically Sensitive Area as also the regulatory regime would be fine tuned after the draft notification to the effect is placed in the public domain for comments/views of stakeholders including State Governments of the region. 4 . The High Level Working Group has noted that a substantial portion of the Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri Districts where moratorium has been imposed falls outside the definition of Western Ghats as identified by the HLWG. The High Level Working Group has recommended the lifting of moratorium in Ratnagiri and Sindhudur Districts subject to certain stipulations. 5. All the other major recommendations made by the HLWG particularly with respects to financial arrangements to incentivize green growth in Western Ghats, participation of and involvement of local communities in decision making, data monitoring systems especially the establishment of Decision Support and Monitoring Centre for Western Ghats are accepted . 6. As a follow up to the "in principle" acceptance of the HLWG report by the Ministry, relevant steps would be initiated to operationalise the recommendations of the HLWG. A draft notification declaring the identified region of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area along the lines accepted by the Ministry would be issued and put up on the website of the Ministry for inputs of stakeholders. A High Level Committee of the MoEF will be set up to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the HLWG in a time bound manner. The earlier OM of even number dated 19 111 October 2013 on the subject stands withdrawn. Thi s issues wi th the approval of the Competent Authority. (Dr. Ami! Love) Deputy Director Copy to:- PS to Mos (1/C) E&F PPS to Secretary (E&F) PPS to AS (HP) PS to JS (AT)/JS (MS)/Adv (GVS) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT & FORESTS RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 14 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.12 .2013 Effect s of phenomenal sh ift of f orests 14. Sh ri N.K. Singh : (c) the steps taken by Government to arrest and preserve bio-diversity in the country? A nswer MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN) Will the Minister o f Environment and Forests be (a)to(c) A statement is laid on the Table of the pleased to state : House. (a) whether forests are undergoing a phenomenal shift, endangering b io-diversity and causing regional c limatic changes/dynamics in the country, if so, the detai ls thereof; (b) whether any study has been conducted in this rcr-.<:>rrl if ~fl thP. rlAff'liiS thereof: and Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (c) of the Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 14 due for answer on 05.12.2013 asked by SHRI NK SINGH regarding Effects of phenomenal shift of forests {