District panels to keep tabs on mining

T. Nandakumar
The Hindu, January 23, 2016

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has issued a notification delegating the regulatory powers for mining of minor minerals to district-level authorities, evoking mixed reactions from environmentalists and members of regulatory bodies in Kerala.

The final notification issued on January 15 mandates the setting up of a District Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) and District Expert Appraisal Committee (DEAC). Though the State government has no role in the selection of members to the district agencies, the Ministry has modified the draft notification to provide the State EIA Authority (SEIAA) with supervisory jurisdiction over the DEIAA, with the power to review its decisions.

The district-level agencies will appraise and grant environment clearance for individual mining lease up to five hectares and mining clusters up to 25 hectares. Mining leases up to 25 hectares will not require public hearing for grant of environment clearance. The draft notification had prescribed public hearing for all leases above five hectares.

The Ministry has also made minor modifications to the constitution of the DEIAA and DEAC. The District Collector will chair the four-member DEIAA. The Sub Divisional Magistrate will be the member secretary.

The senior-most Divisional Forest Officer and an expert nominated by the Chief Conservator of Forest will be the other two members. The 11-member DEAC will be chaired by the Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department, with the Assistant Director or Deputy Director, Mining and Geology, as member secretary.

Welcoming the delegation of regulatory powers, sources said it would lessen the burden of the SEIAA by about 25 per cent. They, however, maintained that the DEIAA and DEAC would not be competent to appraise or grant environment clearance.

Greens’ view

Environmentalists feel that district-level agencies would be more amenable and sensitive to public demands for regulation of mining activities.

Pointing out that the majority of stone quarries in Kerala fell within the B2 category (of area less than or equal to five hectares) SEIAA, Kerala, had proposed that the extent of mining area to be delegated to the district-level authority be limited to three hectares.