The Daily Star, 15 February 2010
We are surprised at the governments decision to issue environment clearance certificate for industries on privately owned lands inside the Bhawal National Park. That will in effect legalise about 300 industrial units already existing in the area and allow setting up of industrial units inside the national park in future. This is something that the present government had been opposed to in the past. A gazette to that effect was published in September of last year.
The decision is even more surprising because it has been given the green light by the National Committee on Environment. This is inconsistent with, and in clear breach of, the existing rules, which allow nothing but planting of trees only in the area.
We are surprised too at the governments u-turn from its earlier position on the matter that it took during its pervious tenure in office not to allow the national park from becoming another industrial zone, which it will now become. Given the oft-repeated statement of the government expressing its commitment to protect the environment at all costs this comes as a shock indeed.