By IANS,
New Delhi : It was a quiet day in parliament Wednesday as the Lok Sabha debated a bill to establish a green tribunal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) boycotted the house to participate in a massive rally the party staged to protest against the spiralling prices.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day following the death of sitting member Krishan Lal Valmiki of the BJP, who represented Rajasthan in the house.
Intervening in the debate on the bill, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh assured the house that it would not hamper the community ownership of natural resources.
“There is no intent to weaken community especially in tribal belts. There should be no ambiguity on this (matter) that community has control on resources particularly in tribal areas as this is a concern among many members,” Ramesh maintained.
The bill aims to establish an autonomous tribunal, independent of the ministry of environment and forests, for environmental clearance of developmental projects.
Several MPs urged the minister to review clauses of the bill which they alleged weakened the purpose of the legislation, that was aimed at addressing environmental-related issues and grievances.
Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit said that just having four or five benches of the tribunal would curb access for the public and also suggested that the bill deal with developing a scientific research institute and library to put information into public domain.
Some members slammed the tribunal for being “highly lop-sided to corporate interests” and also wanted the minister to repeal the cap on time period for applying for compensation under the bill.
Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo of the Biju Janata Dal suggested that the minister hold public consultations across the country on the green tribunal bill like he had on the Bt Brinjal issue.
Ramesh is expected to reply to the debate Thursday when he is likely to address various concerns expressed by members since the bill was moved March 15.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj (BJP), who addressed the Lok Sabha before the start of question hour, slammed the government’s “wrong policies” for the price rise and said BJP MPs were joining the “lakhs and lakhs of people” who had come from all over the country for the protest.
“Price rise is not an outcome of any natural calamity, it is the outcome of the wrong policies of the government,” Swaraj said in her two-minute speech.
Soon after her speech, the BJP MPs raised slogans against the government and trooped out of the house. They did not disrupt the question hour.
The Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games and the UN Millennium Development Goals also found a mention in the Lok Sabha.
M.B. Rajesh of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) wanted the central government to take “immediate action” against violators of human rights and labour laws at the Games work sites.
A Congress MP said during zero hour that India should play an important leadership role at the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summit by showcasing the country’s progress on tuberculosis (TB) control.
This year’s MDGs summit calls for combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases, including TB and malaria.
P.T. Thomas said India should call for “new technologies and additional funding to realise the dream of TB elimination”.