The Hindu GREEN EFFORT: B.V. Ramanaa, Environment Minister (second from left), releasing a book as part of Trees of Tamil Nadu series, which is being received by C.V. Sankar, Principal Secretary for Environment and Forests Department, at a workshop in Chennai on Thursday. Vikram Kapur, Chairman of the TNPCB, is in the picture. Photo: S.S. Kumar
A draft environment policy for the State will be ready in a month and will be submitted to the State government.. This is the first time in the State that such a policy is being drawn up
A draft environment policy for the State will be ready in a month and will be submitted to the State government.
A decision in this regard was taken at a workshop on the formulation of State Environment Policy, organised jointly by the Environment and Forest Departments.
T.S. Srinivasamurthy, Chief Conservator of Forests (Forest Extension), said that deliberations of the workshop would be made available to the public on the State Environment Department's website. Members of public could send their comments through e-mail to tndoe@tn.nic.in or through letters to the Environment department.
Legal, technical, economical and social aspects have been taken into consideration in the formulation of the policy.
A drafting committee has been formed with representatives from the National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training and Research, Centre for Advanced Studies, Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University, Central Leather Research Institute, Zoological Survey of India, Confederation of Indian Industry, State Fisheries Department and Centre for Environment Education.
The representatives, in association with the Forest and Environment department officials, would compile the comments/feedbacks from members of the public before the draft policy is prepared. Coastal management, green energy concept, climate change, solid waste and e-waste management are some of the key issues that will get adequate attention in the policy.
This is the first time that a draft environment policy is being prepared for the State.
Rajasthan and Gujarat are among the States that have such a policy. The national environment policy was formulated and announced by the Union government in 2006.
