New Delhi:
If the government acts on the recommendations of the Subramanian committee, set up to review and streamline the process of green clearances, 90 per cent of Indian forests could be opened up for mining.
The environment ministry set up the committee in September, headed by former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, to review five environment-related laws.
Its report released last week tackles the vexed issue of 'go-and no-go' classification of forests, brought in by former environment minister Jairam Ramesh to prevent coal mining in dense forested areas. The idea was ultimately abandoned due to political resistance.
The Subramanian committee revives the idea, but says only forest areas with canopy density of over 70 percent should be considered no-go. Canopy or crown density, determined by the distance between trees in a forest and the compactness of its crown, is a measure used in forest management.
But, according to the government's own figures, only 10 per cent of Indian forests are that dense. Of the country's 6,97,898 square kilometre of forest cover, only 83,502 square kilometre have a canopy density of 70 per cent. This means over 6 lakh square kilometre of forests could now be designated go areas.
Sudiep Shrivastava, lawyer and activist, warned that even the protected zone can be opened up. "(The committee) intends to classify only 10 per cent of our overall forest cover as no go area," he told NDTV, "but that too with a rider - even in this no go area the union cabinet will have the power to clear the projects."
Mr Subramanian told NDTV "it's nobody's case that the entire twenty-six percent forest area (of the country's total geographical extent) is inviolate. Then, we are basically saying there can be no development whatever."