NAGPUR: The state government has constituted a 14-member management committee to ensure effective implementation of environmental safeguards for Lower Penganga irrigation and multipurpose project in Yavatmal district.
The terms of references (ToR) of the committee will include granting approval for all identified major milestone activities of the project which will ensure compliances of various conditions and proposals, made in the environment clearance (EC) and forest clearance (FC).
The committee will review the implementation of the environmental safeguards stipulated by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) at the time of issuing environment clearance.
Officials said the committee would review implementation of resettlement and rehabilitation package, pari-passu with the progress of project in a time bound manner. The committee will meet at least once in three months.
The MoEFCC has issued environmental clearance to Lower Penganga, subject to implementation of environmental safeguards.
The committee has been constituted as per National Green Tribunal (NGT), Pune, order on March 10, 2014, directing to review environmental compliances at each stage of the construction of the project till its commissioning.
The committee will be headed by principal secretary, environment. The other members include principal secretaries of state water resources department (WRD), finance, relief and rehabilitation, forest, executive director of VIDC, director of MoEFCC (EC division), New Delhi, wildlife and environment expert member Kishor Rithe, chief engineer of WRD, Amravati, chief engineers of Hyderabad and Telengana. Joint secretary for project & vigilance, Maharashtra, will be member-secretary. The committee may opt for any additional member as per specific needs of the work.
