Six green law amendments to be finalised by October: Prakash Javadekar

NEW DELHI: Union Environment Ministry is likely to finalise the amendments to the six green laws by October this year after consultations with legal experts and stakeholders.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar today said the recommendations of the High Level Committee (HLC) which was constituted to review the six environmental laws was a "major" input but clarified that it does not mean that the government has accepted all the 55 recommendations.

"We have done due deliberations with many ministries, stakeholders. We have already appointed a law and management firm and both have looked into the best practises of countries like US, UK, China, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa. We have seen their laws.

"It has found out the assessment report and the gaps in laws as to what is needed and how much change there should be. We will do political processing as to what changes finally has to be made. Then there will be a draft. That should be ready by October. We are doing scientifically," he said.

This comes after a Parliamentary panel chaired by Congress MP Ashwani Kumar recently recommended the formation of a new committee to consider afresh specific areas of environmental policy after it found the objections raised by experts on the proposals of HLC as "valid".

The Standing Committee on Science and Technology and Environment and Forest in its report said three months given to the HLC to review six green laws was "too short" and there was no cogent reason for hurrying through with the report without comprehensive and meaningful consultations with stakeholders.

"Standing committee has given many reports which we have taken seriously. We value the standing committee mechanism. Every report we are scanning and examining seriously. Whatever good recommendations are made, we will taken them on board and work accordingly. Where there are differences, still we will have dialogue," Javadekar said.

The Environment Ministry had in August last year formed a HLC headed by TSR Subramanian to review six key green laws concerning protection and conservation of environment, forest, wildlife, water and air.