Axam Xahitya Xabha opposed the draft EIA Notification 2020

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR: The influential century-old literary organization — Axam Xahitya Xabha (AXX) — has opposed the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2020 recently issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The institution demanded that the Centre must withdraw the notification. Expressing its strong resentment, the AXX also filed a petition to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi.

In the petition, the Xabha pointed out that the proposed draft EIA notification-2020 may lead to irreparable and irreversible damage of the ecosystem and rainforests, forest dwellers and the indigenous people.

"The Northeast States are rich with multi-ethnic groups and communities as well as biodiversity hotspot regions that are safe havens for a number of endangered species," the Xabha's petition pointed out.

Without considering these biodiversity aspects, the draft EIA may have disastrous effects to the flora and fauna of the region and its indigenous people of different ethnicity, culture and language.

Pointing out that Assam has been experiencing devastating floods every year, the petition said that the State is not only located in a flood-prone area but also in a high-seismic zone.

As the proposed EIA-2020 notification focuses on the construction of big dams and similar other projects which will no longer require appraisal from the expert panel and clearance of environmental issues, the Xabha's petition said that against such backdrops, there will be serious threats to the State's exotic and fragile and ecosystem whose consequences will be ultimately suffered by the indigenous people. The petitioners thus raised the demand for withdrawal of the proposed draft notification.

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