Taking the reins of Environment Ministry after Jayanthi Natarajan's controversial exit, M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday promised speedy decisions on clearances without compromising image of the green regulator.
"I am the one who is accustomed to dispose of the files by the evening. Not even a single file will be taken home and not even a single file will be pending unless it requires yet another (look)," said the Petroleum Minister, who assumed the additional charge of the Environment Ministry this morning.
His comments came amid reports that Natarajan was asked to quit the Ministry last week because of complaints that she was holding up environmental clearances to big ticket projects worth thousands of crores and thus impeding growth.
Moily, while rejecting any possibility of conflict of interest because of his holding Petroleum Ministry, asserted that he would strictly follow the rules while considering projects for clearances.
"Everything has its space. Petroleum has its space.... every ministry has a space....Ultimately, we have to go by the rules of the game which have been laid out by any ministry. We should not cross it. There should not be any fear or favour while discharging the duties," he said.
Contending that "as far as possible nothing should be left to discretion," he said, "Ultimately, we have to go by the rules of the game which are laid down by the Ministry. People may have a lot of expectations....but we will have to go strictly according to the rules of the game." On the issue of conflict of interest, Moily cited his experience as Minister for Law, Corporate Affairs and Petroleum and said he had effectively dealt with such issues.
Asked about the opposition charge that the green image of the Ministry may be compromised after the change of guard, he said, "There will be no compromise.... We will have to maintain (it)....I don't want to compromise the basic environmental principles....the benchmark of this Ministry."
![Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta has blocked big projects like bauxite mining by Vedanta Resources and Posco’s steel project in Odisha.]( "Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta has blocked big projects like bauxite mining by Vedanta Resources and Posco’s steel project in Odisha.")
"I am the one who is accustomed to dispose of the files by the evening. Not even a single file will be taken home and not even a single file will be pending unless it requires yet another (look)," said the Petroleum Minister, who assumed the additional charge of the Environment Ministry this morning.
His comments came amid reports that Natarajan was asked to quit the Ministry last week because of complaints that she was holding up environmental clearances to big ticket projects worth thousands of crores and thus impeding growth.
Moily, while rejecting any possibility of conflict of interest because of his holding Petroleum Ministry, asserted that he would strictly follow the rules while considering projects for clearances.
"Everything has its space. Petroleum has its space.... every ministry has a space....Ultimately, we have to go by the rules of the game which have been laid out by any ministry. We should not cross it. There should not be any fear or favour while discharging the duties," he said.
Contending that "as far as possible nothing should be left to discretion," he said, "Ultimately, we have to go by the rules of the game which are laid down by the Ministry. People may have a lot of expectations....but we will have to go strictly according to the rules of the game." On the issue of conflict of interest, Moily cited his experience as Minister for Law, Corporate Affairs and Petroleum and said he had effectively dealt with such issues.
Asked about the opposition charge that the green image of the Ministry may be compromised after the change of guard, he said, "There will be no compromise.... We will have to maintain (it)....I don't want to compromise the basic environmental principles....the benchmark of this Ministry."
Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta's moves have India Inc see red
Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta's moves have India Inc see red
By Megha Mandavia, ET Bureau | 23 Dec, 2013, 04.00AM IST
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MUMBAI: For India Inc, 39-year-old environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta is a perennial nuisance, someone who has been obstructing, slowing and litigating against the industrialisation of the country. But for tree huggers, he's Captain Planet trying to save the earth from mindless destruction.
Dutta, a Supreme Court lawyer for more than a decade, has blocked big projects like bauxite mining by Vedanta Resources and Posco's steel project in Odisha. He fought 350 cases against behemoths lik .. fought 350 cases against behemoths like Posco, Vedanta, Jindal SteelBSE -1.14 %, and government-backed NTPCBSE 0.55 % in the past 10 years, making him unpopular with Corporate India.
"A substantive amount of our industrialism is happening at the cost of the livelihoods of people," says Dutta. "The locals are saying that they'll get jobs as watchmen, guards, but top jobs will go to engineers from outside. It is a real issue of livelihood loss."
Dutta, a Supreme Court lawyer for more than a decade, has blocked big projects like bauxite mining by Vedanta Resources and Posco's steel project in Odisha. He fought 350 cases against behemoths lik .. fought 350 cases against behemoths like Posco, Vedanta, Jindal SteelBSE -1.14 %, and government-backed NTPCBSE 0.55 % in the past 10 years, making him unpopular with Corporate India.
"A substantive amount of our industrialism is happening at the cost of the livelihoods of people," says Dutta. "The locals are saying that they'll get jobs as watchmen, guards, but top jobs will go to engineers from outside. It is a real issue of livelihood loss."
He fought his first case at the age of 28 against Vedanta, representing the Dongria Kondh tribals of Niyamgiri, who wanted to stop the London-listed giant from mining bauxite. Dutta fought the case all the way to the Supreme Court, which then asked Vedanta to get approval from the tribals to start mining.
The tribals rejected the request, and the hills remain untouched. "Virtually 330 acres of forest land is diverted every day in India, according to the ministry of environment," says Dutt ..
The cases that come for legal challenge are less than 1% of the approved (projects)." Dutta, along with another environment lawyer Rahul Choudhary, founded the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) in 2005.
Local communities, farmers, horticulturists, who fear loss of business and sustenance, make up 90% of their clients. Dutta fights about 30-40% cases for free while for the rest he gets paid sometimes in cash, sometimes in vegetables, fruits and hand-woven clothes.
The cases that come for legal challenge are less than 1% of the approved (projects)." Dutta, along with another environment lawyer Rahul Choudhary, founded the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) in 2005.
"Between 2005 and 2009, we succeeded in one or two cases. It was problematic to get evidence. But the coming of Right to Information Act helped a lot," says Dutta. "We found, using Right to Information, the former power secretary, P Abraham, chairing the Expert Appraisal Committee for dams in northeast was himself sitting on the board of the company whose project he approved."
Today, 65-70% of lawsuits result in at least some outcome in terms of more scrutiny through public hearings or .. Even corporate lawyers, who have fought against him, call him honest, focussed and driven.
"He has raised important issues. No one earlier was bringing up these issues so consistently," says Prashanto Chandra Sen, who represented a leading mining firm against Dutta. However, there is a concern about his overwhelming activism. "He is a good lawyer as far as environment is concerned. He is a mix of activism and law.
He should see both sides of the issue," said Supreme Court lawyer ADN Rao, who too has fought against Dutta. Dutta, a graduate in sociology and law, never intended to become an environment lawyer. His interest lay in environment activism and conservation.
But he realised that there were few full-time environment lawyers ready to fight on behalf of communities. "Frankly I don't think I have the capacity to study anything else which is non-environmental. I would have turned into a very fluff corporate lawyer. It is not a sacrifice," says Dutta.
Local communities, farmers, horticulturists, who fear loss of business and sustenance, make up 90% of their clients. Dutta fights about 30-40% cases for free while for the rest he gets paid sometimes in cash, sometimes in vegetables, fruits and hand-woven clothes.
The cases that come for legal challenge are less than 1% of the approved (projects)." Dutta, along with another environment lawyer Rahul Choudhary, founded the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) in 2005.
"Between 2005 and 2009, we succeeded in one or two cases. It was problematic to get evidence. But the coming of Right to Information Act helped a lot," says Dutta. "We found, using Right to Information, the former power secretary, P Abraham, chairing the Expert Appraisal Committee for dams in northeast was himself sitting on the board of the company whose project he approved."
Today, 65-70% of lawsuits result in at least some outcome in terms of more scrutiny through public hearings or .. Even corporate lawyers, who have fought against him, call him honest, focussed and driven.
"He has raised important issues. No one earlier was bringing up these issues so consistently," says Prashanto Chandra Sen, who represented a leading mining firm against Dutta. However, there is a concern about his overwhelming activism. "He is a good lawyer as far as environment is concerned. He is a mix of activism and law.
He should see both sides of the issue," said Supreme Court lawyer ADN Rao, who too has fought against Dutta. Dutta, a graduate in sociology and law, never intended to become an environment lawyer. His interest lay in environment activism and conservation.
But he realised that there were few full-time environment lawyers ready to fight on behalf of communities. "Frankly I don't think I have the capacity to study anything else which is non-environmental. I would have turned into a very fluff corporate lawyer. It is not a sacrifice," says Dutta.
He fought his first case at the age of 28 against Vedanta, representing the Dongria Kondh tribals of Niyamgiri, who wanted to stop the London-listed giant from mining bauxite. Dutta fought the case all the way to the Supreme Court, which then asked Vedanta to get approval from the tribals to start mining.
The tribals rejected the request, and the hills remain untouched. "Virtually 330 acres of forest land is diverted every day in India, according to the ministry of environment," says Dutt ..
The tribals rejected the request, and the hills remain untouched. "Virtually 330 acres of forest land is diverted every day in India, according to the ministry of environment," says Dutt ..