Hyderabad, June 22 (ANI): Reacting to the row over the acquisition of land by the Orissa Government for the Posco steel project, Union Minister of State for Forests and Environment Jairam Ramesh has said that environmental clearance to a project should not be construed as a licence for the forceful eviction of people.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Ramesh said: "The state government should adopt democratic methods to acquire land."
Ruling out any review of environmental clearance given to the Posco Project, he said there is no need for it, as the environmental clearance does not give the state, license for forcible land acquisition.
The government resumed land acquisition after the Environment Ministry gave a final clearance in May to the project, after the state clarified the area did not belong to forest-dwellers.
About the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh, Ramesh said a satisfactory solution should be found to prevent the submergence of villages in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
"The Andhra Pradesh government proposed to construct a Rs.620-crore embankment wall to prevent the submergence of villages in Chhattisgarh and Orissa. It was for those two States to take a decision, he added.
He further slammed Uttarakhand government for its inaction against the illegal sand mining in the state and said the government would have to step in if the government didn't take steps soon.
"According to law the responsibility for minor minerals like sand and stones lies with the state government and responsibility for major minerals lies with the central government. However keeping in view the sensitive nature of the issue, if the state government does not take credible action in a reasonable time frame, we would not hesitate to take action on our part," he said. (ANI)
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