Green norms for buildings to be relaxed

The Centre is all set to amend Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 to clear green hurdles to certain types of constructions. This would mean projects such as Akshardham temple or the DTC bus depot on the Yamuna floodplains will not require environmental clearance (EC).

Green activists are, however, worried that the amendment will put massive stress on urban resources and cause great environmental damage. However, this could also speed up construction of many public utility projects in Delhi such as parking lots, bus depots, stadiums and religious structures. It could also simplify the process for acquiring an EC wherein agencies and companies apply for it in bulk leading to delay and escalation in project cost.

Experts say the proposed amendments even lack clarity. “The list of constructions that require EC mentions hostels but not colleges. There are many constructions not included in the list. This means these constructions will not go through the scrutiny of experts and there won’t be any public consultations. These include recreational structures, religious structures, sports facilities and even public utility structures like parking lots,” said Pushp Jain of EIA Resource and Response Centre.

The draft notification that lists out projects or activities that require prior EC only mentions those with a built-up area of over 20,000 sq m and less than 1,50,000 sq m, and townships and area development projects covering an area greater than 50 ha or built-up area greater than 1,50,000 sq m.

Environmentalists say the lack of clarity in the proposed amendment could result in many problems in the long run. “A building that is not commercial today may become commercial later. So listing commercial buildings doesn’t help. If you name only certain types of buildings, the inference is that the rest are excluded. So my concern is that many constructions with possible environmental impact will be excluded,” said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan (YJA).

Similarly, there is no clarity on whether bridges would require EC. “It needs to be clarified if bridges are under EIA cover. If townships and area development projects are under EIA, then bridges, too, could fall under it,” added Jain. “What about non-building construction activities? These could include large parking spaces, monuments and statues over large areas, and ghats and similar construction on river banks. The amendment has clearly been drafted in a hurry,” Misra said.

National Green Tribunal recently issued a notice to the Centre on a plea seeking stay on the Signature Bridge project across Yamuna at Wazirabad till it gets a green nod.

Source:http://content.magicbricks.com/industry-news/delhi-ncr-real-estate-news/green-norms-for-buildings-to-be-relaxed/76116.html