Pune, 1st June 2014
The Union Minister of state for Environment & Forests Shri Prakash Javdekar has said that large infrastructure projects from sectors such as defence will be be given priority for clearance. Speaking at a ‘Meet the Press’ program at Pune Shramik Patrakar Sangh he said there is an impression that licence permit raj has come and about 5000 proposals are pending for want of environment clearance. This includes many defence projects, and infrastructure projects such as those pertaining to the border roads, ports, airports etc. He said we will review the files of these projects and give clearance at one go to many of these. Shri Javdekar clarified that while doing this we will take care of the environmental concerns. He said development and environmental protection should go hand in hand while giving clearances for these and we will nourish the environment while achieving development.
Shri Javdekar said his Ministry has started online submission of projects which will improve the process and bring in transparency in his ministry’s functioning. He said we would think innovatively while going ahead with many of the decisions. For example he said the forests can be a source of a lot of revenue also, as from forest waste and residues. On the Lavasa project he said no project is bad and he would study the positive and negative aspects of the same before commenting. He said a meeting on environmental problems of Pune city would be held after 20th June to discuss the river improvement projects on lines of the 14 km Sabarmati river development project completed in Ahmedabad in 1100 days time.
This government he said will deliver on good governance. After understanding the subject we would give priority to issues and projects of public importance he declared. He said his government will work for those who voted for us and also for those who didn’t so that next time they do vote for us. On the EGOM issue he said Pranab Mukerjee was heading some 35 EGOMs and I wonder when he would have got the time to attend the meetings. In contrast I held a meeting with my colleague Piyush Goyal from the Energy & Coal ministry in presence of both Ministry officials to sort out issues of his ministry, so our EGOMs are more flexible he quipped. He expressed confidence that all 8 legislative assembly seats in the Pune city would be bagged by the BJP-Shivsena combine in the assembly elections due soon in the state.
Shri Javdekar who also holds the Information and Broadcasting portfolio was presented a list of demands by the Pune Patrakar Sangh and said that his ministry would positively consider setting up a Regional Centre of Indian Institute of Mass Communication at Pune. On the issue of starting fellowships for journalists he said the Patrakar Sangh should formulate the detailed demand in that respect. The Pune Patrkar Sangh President Santosh Kulkarni said that the Majithia wage board implementation issue for journalist is pending for long and Shri Javdekar should support it as 80 percent journalists work on contract. Shri Javdekar said my heart goes out to journalists and he was of the opinion that journalists, even on contract should get justice in their pay and allowances. He said a meeting on the wage board issue would be called at Delhi where even the unions would be invited. To a question he said the media would have its freedom and there is no question of any restrictions on it including the social media.
Earlier on his arrival in the city he was given a rousing welcome at the Pune Railway station. On his maiden day long visit to the city after taking charge of his Ministry he was received by the newly elected city MP Shri Anil Shirole, senior central and state government, police and other officials who greeted him on his appointment. Huge number of BJP supporters including office bearers, citizens were also present
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