Oversight committee to monitor Bhopal clean- up

Government forms panel to clean up Bhopal
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday constituted an oversight committee to co-ordinate and monitor activities related to waste disposal, decontamination and remediation at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. Headed by Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh and Madhya Pradesh minister for relief and rehabilitation Babulal Gaur, the panel will ensure that all requisite technical, financial and other support is available to the state government and its authorities.

The primary responsibility for the removal of the toxic waste from the now defunct Union Carbide plant, soil and ground water remediation, and detoxification and dismantling of the defunct plant will be that of the state government. The 16-member oversight committee will ensure requisite technical, financial, logistical and other support is available to the state government and its authorities at all times while remedial action is taken.

The state environment minister; secretaries of the Union ministries of environment, chemicals and petrochemicals, and science and technology; secretary, department of Bhopal gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation; and principle secretary for finance in the Madhya Pradesh government are members of the committee. Other officials on the committee are the commissioner of Bhopal, additional secretary and finance advisor in the Union environment ministry and the joint secretary in charge of hazardous substance management.

Directors of National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, National Geophysical Research Institute and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, and the chairmen of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board are the technical experts on the committee.

The Centre will spend around Rs 310 crore for environmental remediation in and around the disaster site where the hazardous material continues to pollute ground water and soil on a massive scale more than 25 years after the industrial mishap.
Government forms panel to clean up Bhopal
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Is the Oversight committee an adjunct to an Anomaly committee analogous to deception per se?
An oversight committee can have an impact on the quality and fairness of fact-finding even before the committee gains access to the relevant information. When research is done in the knowledge that an outside entity will be reviewing the research methods and findings, there is an increased sense of accountability. Government or corporate research entities must ensure the standard of their work is acceptable, especially because in the long run it will be more costly and time-consuming if they are forced to go back and correct mistakes when an oversight committee detects errors or deceptions. However, oversight committees must seek to avoid what is called "analysis paralysis," the tendency to want to analyze something forever, in an effort to eliminate all uncertainty before making a decision. Since uncertainty is unavoidable in many scientific inquiries, it is important that oversight committees recognize when the best available research strategies are used, and accept the results from that research as the best obtainable at the time. This allows decisions to be made and actions taken in a timely manner. Will the clean up of Bhopal be based on scientific analysis or whims and fancies of Bureaucrats and Politicians who can make a sizable buck from the clean up funds amounting to about Rs 400 crores!

Noise pollution levels in most cities is beyond permissible levels

Noise pollution levels in most cities is beyond the permissible levels Sporadic noise monitoring in urban areas, mainly during festivals such as Deepawali by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) reveals this fact. A few SPCBs and PCCs have initiated regular noise monitoring since 2008-09. As per available data, the laid down noise norms for respective zones (Industrial, Commercial, Residential or Silence) are exceeded at many locations. However, a definite trend can not be ascertained since data is available only for a limited period.

The Supreme Court, in one of its judgment directed to put complete ban on bursting of sound emitting fire crackers during night time (between 10 pm and 6 am). Besides this, ban on use of sound emitting instrument or any sound amplifier at night time except in public emergency and use of horn at night time except in exceptional circumstance have been ordered. The Supreme Court also suggested to organise public awareness campaigns during festival seasons.

State Government have been advised to make provision for seizure and confiscation of loud-speakers, amplifier and other equipments which are found to create noise level beyond permissible limits. The Central Government has undertaken the task to create a national ambient noise monitoring network for urban areas and reporting the data therein, in accordance with the National Environment Policy-2006.

The various steps undertaken by the Government to control noise pollution include the following:-

(i) Implementation of the provisions of The Factory Act, 1948, the Air (Prevention and control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000;

(ii) Implementation of noise standards at the manufacturing stage for generator sets, motor vehicles, select domestic appliances and firecrackers; and

(iii) Restriction on the blowing of horns, bursting of sound emitted fire crackers, operation of sound emitting construction equipments, and playing of bands, etc during night time (10.00 pm to 6.00 am).
Noise pollution levels in most cities is beyond permissible levels

Who are the Noise Polluters?
It is primarily the Political Parties (who celebrate birthdays of their founders), the trade unions, illegal churches (located in residential areas) and so forth. The Police do not take action in spite of complaints from concerned citizens. The children and the elderly are the ones who suffer most from this malaise. There is not a single case of report of seizure and confiscation of loud-speakers, amplifier and other equipments which are found to create noise level beyond permissible limits by the state authorities. The PCB's are the most corrupt organisations and citizens cannot expect any relief!

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