No new projects in polluted sites till October 31: MoEF
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COMMENTS 
The government has extended a moratorium on development projects in critically polluted industrial clusters that have failed to submit remediation plans to clean up the sites in two months
Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has said the moratorium on new projects in heavily polluted industrial clusters will be extended till October 31, as most of these clusters have failed to submit remediation plan to clean up the sites.
The environment ministry imposed a moratorium on January 1 on consideration of development projects including those in the pipeline for clearance in some 43 highly polluted industrial clusters until August 31.vThe State Pollution Control Boards were asked to submit remediation plans to the Central Pollution Control Board to check pollution in these clusters by July 31.
“Of the 43 highly polluted industrial clusters, only 27 have submitted action plans for remediation, of which nine have been evaluated by the Central Pollution Control Board. The moratorium on new projects will be extended by another two months,” Ramesh told a conference of heads of the Central and State Pollution Control Boards on August 31, 2010.
“We will lift the moratorium when the states submit action plans for remediation,” Ramesh said. Stating that the “polluter must pay” and take responsibility for remediation of industrial sites, Ramesh said the Centre was ready to provide funds for the setting up of common effluent treatment plants at these clusters.
He also said the ministry proposed to start a Rs 1,300 crore project to strengthen the capabilities of the Central Pollution Control Board and revamp the State Pollution Control Boards. “It is a five-to-six-year project and has been endorsed by the finance minister and Planning Commission. We are now waiting to put it into the negotiating stream,” Ramesh said while adding that the ministry would seek financial assistance from the World Bank for the project.
After a gap of 14 years, the Central Pollution Control Board recently recruited around 50 scientists and expects to recruit 15 more, he said. “With new instruments of regulation, the PCBs are faced with large number of issues to deal with the expanded responsibilities. Strengthening the capacity of PCBs would help them achieve that,” he said.
Source: The Hindu Businessline, August 31, 2010
The Hindustan Times, August 31, 2010