Policy for cleaner environment

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Tamil Nadu government on Thursday unveiled the draft state environment policy, striving to promote, coordinate and regulate the activities towards providing healthier environment to the people of the state.

The draft policy prepared by Mr C V Sankar, Principal secretary, environment and forest department aimed at providing a clean environment to the people through better air, water, soil quality management, while balancing the need of the state towards industrial development.

Mr Sankar, who played an active role in the post tsunami livelihoods programme for coastal communities, as officer on special duty (relief and rehabilitation), prepared the 13-page draft policy, focusing on environment protection, a key to ensure a healthy life for the people.

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa had identified the preservation of ecology and heritage as one of the key themes in her vision 2023 document.

Towards realizing the objectives of it with respect to environmental sustainability, the government intends to formulate a comprehensive environment policy, he said.

Tamil Nadu being the most urbanized state faced challenges in solid waste, waste water management and air pollution and they expected to multiply in the coming years, he said and pointed out that the state is contemplating the enactment of a legislation to ban the production and use of non-biodegradable plastics upto 60 microns.

“The state environment policy will strive to look at the regulatory framework, its adequacy, the awareness levels among the stakeholders, the recent judicial pronouncements and participation of technical institutions/industries in furthering the cause of environment,’ Mr Sankar said.

The policy would also look at specific strategies to strengthen the capacity of those organizations and the need for redefining their roles.

Revamping and restructuring of the Tamil Nadu pollution control board, the Directorate of environment and related institutions to make them more participative and transparent in their decision making, to be more transparent and efficient in their processes and decision making and to be more vigilant and pro-active in their regulatory functions using the latest technologies and other facilities, he said.

There was a huge body of knowledge developed within and outside the state on all issues impinging on environment, he said adding “the policy would look at collecting this information, making them available in a transparent and open manner, with open access to all who need it and evolving communication strategies to take the message to each and every citizen of the state.

Air quality, water quality, pollution abatement in rivers, lakes and water bodies, waste management and coastal zone management would be the thrust areas, key issues and major interventions in the state environment policy, he said.

The cross cutting issues would be climate change and need to address vulnerability/build resilience, linkage with health, capacity to facilitate independent reporting and monitoring of environment information and awareness creation and incentive for green investments.

The policy framework and new and emerging interventions would be based on environmental tax reforms, green economy and green growth and public private partnership, he said.