Centre’s EIA draft dangerous: Rahul

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, August 9

The Congress today came down heavily on the new Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), 2020, draft the government has placed in the public domain for comments with former party chief Rahul Gandhi leading the offensive.

Rahul said the draft was “not only disgraceful, but also is dangerous”.

In a Facebook post, Gandhi said not only did the draft have the potential to reverse many hard-fought gains won over the years in the battle to protect the environment, but it could also potentially unleash widespread environmental destruction and mayhem across the country.

“According to our Swachh Bharat propagating government, if labelled ‘strategic’, highly polluting industries will no longer require EIA neither will highways or railway lines passing through dense forests and other eco-sensitive areas require clearances. This will result in massive hacking of trees, leading to destruction of habitats of thousands of endangered species,” said Rahul. He said the youth who have always been at the forefront of every battle to protect our environment must take up this cause.