In what could bring some relief to the developer community as well as infrastructure agencies of the city, Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh announced that the ban on sand mining in non-CRZ areas of Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts has been temporarily lifted.
“We are aware of the acute sand shortage in Mumbai which is leading to delays in housing and infrastructure projects. Hence this ban has been lifted to provide some relief. However, any excavation done in the CRZ area will need permission from the state board,” said Ramesh.
Faster clearance for green building projects
Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said a lot of concerns were expressed about the delays in the completion of housing projects in the city. “We have been getting a number of complaints about housing projects being delayed due to the lengthy paperwork related to permissions. Hence, with the Centre’s consent, we have decided that the projects which follow two green codes — LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) — won’t need other permissions,” he said.
Botanical garden not to be touched
Ramesh also clarified that the botanical garden, a part of the Jijamata Udyan in Byculla, will be kept intact. “We have asked the BMC to not touch it while planning the zoo redevelopment. The state and Centre have asked the BMC to come out with a proposal which keeps the garden intact during redevelopment,” informed Ramesh.
MoEF clearance to Jaitapur stands
Ramesh made it clear that the incidence in Fukushima nuclear power plant has come as a good lesson for India. “However, that does not mean India should cancel projects such as Jaitapur. The MoEF clearance to the project stands, though the security aspect should be more closely followed. We have six reactors with a capacity of 1,600MW each. Each reactor should be monitored. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India is dealing with these issues with the French company Areva. If MoEF needs, we can review or revisit the entire project, but only from the environmental aspect,” he said.
