Withdraw the EIA 2020 Draft Notification
An EIA report assesses how a project will impact the environment and is the basis on which the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) will approve or reject a project . In March 2020 a draft notification for Environment Impact Assessment 2020 was issued by MoEFCC. This is an important notification, since all new infrastructure projects – and expansion of existing ones – such as, roads, mining projects, factories, and power plants, are required to conduct a mandatory Environment Impact Assessment and submit a report to the Ministry.
The 2020 draft notification has been heavily criticised for fundamentally dismantling environmental safeguards to promote ease of doing business. It undermines the right of every citizen to a clean environment and subverts the democratic process.
The Ministry has invited public comments on the draft notification until 11th August 2020, for which this email address has been provided: eia2020-moefcc@gov.in.Over 100 conservationists, concerned citizens, researchers and experts have written a detailed letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, critiquing the EIA 2020 Draft Notification, requesting that it be withdrawn, and asking for a strengthening of the EIA 2006 notification.
This letter may be accessed here.
Concerned citizens may write to MoEFCC demanding withdrawal of EIA 2020 draft notification.
The letter below has a shorter version with all the salient points, and we encourage citizens to make use of it while sending their comments to the ministry. Both are available below in English and regional languages from the respective links:
- English – Original | Short version | Video
- Hindi – Original | Short version | Video
- Marathi – Original | Short version
- Konkani – Original | Short version
India’s environmental crisis calls for strong and effectively implemented laws that control pollution, ensure a clean environment, conserve forests and wildlife, and warrant accountability from defaulting industries for an ecologically and economically secure future.
(source: https://www.conservationindia.org/)
What You Can Do
- Sign petitions opposing the Draft 2020. You can find some by just searching for “EIA petitions” on Google
- Tweet against it using these hashtags #withdraweia2020 #takebackeia2020 #noeiadilution
- E-mail your objections to the draft to eia2020-moef@gov.in
- Check out the instagram accounts of @fridaysforfuture.india @letindiabreathe.in @thereisnoearthb for toolkits, draft e-mails, and more information
- Share and educate other people about this. Spread awareness.
