Environment Ministry lifts moratorium on ind unit in Maha

New Delhi, May 29: The Environment Ministry has lifted the moratorium on polluting industrial clusters in the Critically Polluted Areas (CPA) of Chandrapur in Maharashtra, a move aimed at enabling new investments which have been stalled for the last over five years. The move came after the evaluation of the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) score of the area done by pollution watchdog Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed improvement. “The Environment Ministry through its office memorandum dated 20.05.2016 has lifted moratorium from the CEPI area of Chandrapur (MIDC Chandrapur, Tadali, Ghuggus, Ballapur) in Maharashtra. This will enable new investments in the region, which was stalled for last more than 5 years. The Ministry had imposed moratorium on 13.01.2010 in 43 CEPI areas,” an official statement said. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitored Chandrapur’s CPA during February March, 2016, re-assessed the CEPI score, and informed the Ministry on April 18 this year about it. The evaluation of the CEPI score in the Chandrapur is 54.42, as compared to 81.90 in 2013. “In view of the re-assessment of CEPI score and taking into consideration that action plans for improving environment quality take time to yield results, it has been decided to lift the moratorium on the consideration of projects for environmental clearance in respect of projects to be located in Chandrapur (Maharashtra), where CEPI score is below 70 as compared to the CEPI score of 2013 (81.93),” the statement said. According to reports, pollution watchdog CPCB has recently revised the criterion to assess CEPI across industrial clusters in the country and has asked state pollution control boards to do a fresh assessment of industrial clusters based on the new parameters. “The new formula of CEPI is more scientific reasonable and will ensure pollution management better. To that end this new formula will give justice and this will end arbitrariness,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told PTI after the Ministry lifted the moratorium.