No Decision Yet on Appointment on Environment Regulator

New Delhi: A decision to set up an environment regulator was deferred by the Union Cabinet today, sources said.

In January, the Supreme Court ordered that the government should set up a national regulator for appraising industrial projects in green belt, enforcing environmental conditions and imposing penalties on polluters.

The government was not in favour of setting up a national regulator.

Turning down the plea of the Centre, the Supreme Court had said that the present mechanism is "deficient" in many respects and directed the government to appoint a new body to ensure effective implementation of National Forest Policy.