Ban on fresh projects in over-polluted clusters extended

Union minister of state for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday that the moratorium on new projects in critically polluted industrial clusters will be extended till 31 October, as majority of these clusters have failed to submit remediation plan to clean up the sites.

The environment ministry had imposed a moratorium on 1 January on clearance of development projects, including those in the pipeline, in some 43 highly polluted industrial clusters, till 31 August. The state pollution control boards were asked to submit remediation plans to the Central Pollution Control Board to check pollution in these clusters by 31 July.

''Of the 43 highly polluted industrial clusters, only 27 have submitted action plans for remediation, of which nine have been evaluated by the Central Pollution Control Board. The moratorium on new projects will be extended by another two months,'' Ramesh told a conference of the heads of central and state pollution control boards.

''We will lift the moratorium when the states submit action plans for remediation,'' Ramesh added.

Stating that the ''polluter must pay'' and take responsibility for remediation of the industrial sites, Ramesh said the centre was ready to provide funds for setting up common effluent treatment plants at these clusters. He also said that his ministry proposes to start a Rs1,300 crore project to strengthen the capabilities of Central Pollution Control Board and revamp the State Pollution Control Boards.

''It is a five to six year project and has been endorsed by the finance minister and the Planning Commission. We are now waiting to put it into the negotiating stream,'' Ramesh said, adding that the ministry will seek financial assistance from the World Bank for the project.

After a gap of 14 years, the CPCB has recently recruited some 50 scientists and expects to recruit some 15 more, he said. ''With new instruments of regulations, the PCBs are faced with large number of issues to deal with expanded responsibilities. Strengthening capacity of PCBs will help them achieve that,'' he said.