POLICY

Issue 8
January 05, 2008

 Incentives for CFLs sans mercury safeguards pose serious environmental threat: Toxics Link and Greenpeace

In a communication to Sushil Kumar Shinde, Minister of Power, Government of India, Greenpeace and Toxics Link have expressed serious concern over the proposed market mechanism to bring down the price of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), saying that it falls short in taking proactive measures to also handle the mercury contamination caused by CFLs and have urged that a clear road map for containing the mercury contamination from the CFLs during the entire life cycle of this product also needs to be made part of the proposal.

Issue 7
November 27, 2007

 India's proposed waste law to officially turn it into global waste destination: Environmentalists

Environmentalists say that the newly drafted hazardous waste management law for India seeks to undo established, science-based definitions of waste and consider waste that is being recycled somehow less hazardous than the waste being landfilled in order to curry favor with hazardous scrapping industries.

Issue 6
July 23, 2007

 Single-window system for environment clearances for builders being planned

The Union Government is reportedly planning to introduce as single window system for environmental clearance for builders. This will reduce the time required for the process to just three months.

Issue 5
May 08, 2007

 Govt's definition of forest may run into conflict with SC

The ministry of environment and forests is veering towards another battle with the SC. It has prepared a draft definition of forests which will remove private forest lands from the purview of forest-related laws, coming in conflict with a SC order of 1996, which had brought all forests, regardless if they grow on private or government notified lands, under the provisions of stringent forest-related legislations.

Issue 4
March 12, 2007

 Climate change expert committee to be formed: Finance Minister

India will set up an expert committee to study the impact of climate change on the country, even though it does not significantly contribute to green house gas (GHG) emissions, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said in his budget speech in parliament, according to an official release.

Issue 3
February 08, 2007

 Delhi Master Plan 2021 notified

The Delhi Master Plan 2021 has been notified after a year-long agitation that saw bloody battles played out on the capital's streets.

Issue 2
January 06, 2007

 Plan underway for enforcement of auto emission standards by 2010: GoI

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has stated that a road map -- laid down by the Expert Committee on Auto Fuel Policy -- is under implementation process for controlling vehicular pollution from both new as well as in-use vehicles all over the country by the year 2010.

Issue 1
December 06, 2006

 Proposed e-waste legislation harsh on consumers, easy on producers

Non-governmental organisations Greenpeace and Toxics Link have criticised the draft legislation on e-waste. While the former has dubbed it as a toothless legislation in media reports, the latter has said that it would place the onus on the consumers and not place an appropriate ownership of the problem.