Environment Impact Assessment Draft Notification 2020: An Eco-Legal Assessment

Abstract

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)DraftNotification 2020 passed during the COVID-19 pandemic for diagnostic and therapeutic projects' expeditious disposal. Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change placed the bulk drugs and intermediates under the B2 category of the project to deal with the epidemic-pandemic situations. The sense of urgency was well covered under the global outbreak of COVID-19 but criticized the ground of environmental impact assessment (EIA), social impact assessment (SIA), and strategic environmental assessment (SEA). The EIA Notification, 2020,exempted Category B2 Projects from Baseline data, EIA Studies, and public consultation.The characteristic features of the amendment related to the shortening of the public hearings and environmental clearance. These industries' locations allowed in ecologically sensitive areas ignoring the adverse ecological, social, and health impacts. The paper examines the EIA Notification, 2020,in light of the legal precept and judicial doctrines of sustainable development.