Standard Operating Procedure to deal with environmental violations : MoEFCC
Recently, the central government has issued new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for environmental violations.
The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), issued by the Environment Ministry, is a result of the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
It may be noted that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had earlier this year directed the ministry to impose penalties for green violations and issue an SOP.
New Criteria:
Identification and reporting of violations: Central and state pollution control bodies will identify the violation cases. This will also include matters received from the public. Also, Consent to Operate (CTO) will not be issued or renewed to entities that do not have prior Environmental Clearance (EC).
- Point of concern: There is ambiguity about how complaints are to be made, and how they will be dealt with.
Dealing with cases of violation: This section attempts to highlight the thoughtful approach of MoEF&CC towards protecting the environment. However, there is a catch in this section. All the above indicated works for the projects will be temporary and will be effective till those projects do not receive the required EC.
- Issues of concern: The actions taken on these (such as closures or limits on production) are of a temporary nature. This means that the action ends after the projects get the necessary environmental clearances.
Fines for violating cases:
- Point of concern: If the proposer reports the violation suo-moto, the penalty will be halved. This can make the violation based on the criteria paid by the polluter.
About National Green Tribunal
It is a specialized body established under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010). It is mandated for effective and speedy disposal of matters relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
Source – PIB
