Sonia Gandhi slams govt; says Forect Act amendments threaten Aravalli range

Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that since coming to power the Modi government has displayed a particularly venal streak of cynicism in relation to environmental protection while alleging that it has now nearly signed a death warrant for Aravalli hillsShe demanded that the government must withdraw the amendments it bulldozed through Parliament in the Forest Conservation Act 1980 as well as the Forest Conservation Rules 2022Gandhi said the governments declaration that any hills in the Aravalli range with an elevation of less than 100 metres are not subject to the structures against mining is an open invitation for illegal miners and mafias to finish off 9037 of the range which falls below the height limit setThe Aravalli range which runs from Gujarat through Rajasthan and till Haryana has long played a significant role in Indian geography and history It has served as a barrier to the spread of desertification from the Thar Desert to the Gangetic Plains guarded Rajasthans proudest forts such as Chittorgarh and Ranthambore and served as the cradle of spirituality for communities across northwest India Gandhi said in an article published in The HinduThe Modi Government has now nearly signed a death warrant for these hills already denuded by illegal mining she saidGandhi pointed out that on the northernmost end of the Aravalli range the national capital has embarked on its annual smog season this monthA hazy mist of dust smoke and particulate matter has been settling down on millions of citizens as they go about their daily lives breathing in toxic air Even as the smog becomes a part of our yearly routine research increasingly shows that it is a fullscale slowmotion public health tragedy Estimates of the human toll of this pollution go as high as 34000 deaths in just 10 cities annually Gandhi said in her article titled Dismal state of Indias environmentLast week the news headlines reflected yet another evolving tragedy when the Central Ground Water Board CGWB reported that 13371537 of tested groundwater samples in Delhi contain uranium beyond the permissible limit for human consumption she saidShamefully water samples from Punjab and Haryana reflect even higher levels of uranium contamination One does not need to dwell on the frightening health implications that regular consumption of such water for daily activities can have on impacted populations the former Congress president saidThese news items cannot be seen disparately as they are each causes and consequences of a crisis that has engulfed India in the last decade a deepseated and continuing disregard for the environment in government policy making she saidEver since coming to power the Modi government has displayed a particularly venal streak of cynicism in relation to environmental protection combining its proclivity to encourage the reckless exploitation of natural resources with a callous disregard for consequences on the environment Gandhi saidThe Forest Conservation Amendment Act 2023 exempted large categories of land and projects from forest clearance rules easing diversion for other purposes she claimedGandhi further alleged that the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment EIA notification 2020 sought to dilute public hearings expand exemptions and reduce compliance reportingThe Coastal Regulation Zone CRZ Notification 2018 eased construction rules along Indias shorelines opening ecologically sensitive coastal areas and fishing communities habitats to commercial real estate and industrial activity Gandhi saidThe Environment Ministry has more often been in the news for circumventing due process and weakening regulations rather than implementing them or taking proactive measures to halt the slide the Congress leader saidAnother emerging trend has been an insidious tendency to pit the environment against the local communities that protect it when politically convenient for the government she saidThe Forest Survey of India has been mischievously attributing the loss of forest cover over the last decade to the implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006 Gandhi saidShockingly even the Minister concerned has echoed the same claims In June 2024 the National Tiger Conservation Authority called for the eviction of almost 65000 families from tiger reserves across the country she saidIt was not just a breach of the spirit of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 which mandates that all relocations must be voluntary it was also unnecessarily inimical ranging the environment against local communities Gandhi saidIndia needs a new deal for the environment First we must resolve to do no further harm We must halt the largescale deforestation that is planned or currently underway across the country in Great Nicobar in north Chhattisgarhs Hasdeo Aranya and in Madhva Pradeshs DhirauliWe need to crack down on the rampant illegal mining in the Aravalli range and other ecosensitive regions such as the Western Ghats We need to put an end to the indiscriminate destruction of mountains in the Himalayan belt which has exacted a heavy toll on human lives these past few years Gandhi saidShe said on a policy level there is a need to urgently review the laws and policy changes of the last decade which have led us down this disastrous pathThe Modi government must withdraw the amendments it bulldozed through Parliament in the Forest Conservation Act 1980 as well as the Forest Conservation Rules 2022 which are antiAdivasi and allow the clearing of forests without consulting those who live there she saidThe blatantly illogical and dangerous practice of providing postfacto environmental clearances to big corporations that violate environmental laws one of the Modi Governments few homegrown policy innovations cannot continue she assertedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the 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