Attacking the United Progressive Alliance government and the Environment Ministry for granting clearance to the Posco project in Orissa, the Communist Party of India on Thursday said the imposition of 60 conditions, notwithstanding, neither the environment nor forest clearance for it was in accordance with law. “The government enacts laws and frames policies that it claims will benefit the people, and then goes on to tear them to shreds in order...

A recent newspaper report noted that the Union Government had gazetted the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2011 and received strong criticism from organisations that work for protecting coastal ecosystems and fight for the rights and welfare of fisherfolk. About 20 organisations working in the field of protecting fishermen's rights and lawyers backing them have taken strong exception to the notification. This is on the ground that the new notification,...

Clearing a protracted uncertainty over India’s largest-ever foreign direct investment, the Union Environment Ministry today gave its approval to South Korean steel major POSCO’s proposed iron and steel plant in Orissa. In an order today, the Ministry gave environmental clearance for the construction of a 12-million tonne per annum capacity iron and steel plant (4 million tonnes in first phase) and a captive power plant at Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa. It also...

The environment minister promised much, but his flip-flops of late raise concern Mr Compromised     * Vedanta In ’09, Jairam said no to mining. Now says yes to refinery expansion though water is scarce.     * Polavaram dam Gives forest clearance, then seeks explanation     * Posco Under litigation as the ministry says yes to forest clearance for iron ore/steel plant     * Lavasa township Ministry report says ecologically sensitive Ghats will be affected....

If forests belong to the forest-dwellers, then the coastal areas should belong to the fishing community. Acting on this line, the government is proposing to bring in a new law — modelled on the Forests Rights Act — to establish rights of fishermen on the coastal areas and resources found therein. The Forests Rights Act, passed by Parliament in 2006 and brought into force in 2008, recognises the rights of tribals...