By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The proposal for creation of a separate Directorate of Environment is in its final stages.
“We are going to have a separate Directorate of Environment in the next few months,” a senior government official said here on Thursday.
According to him, majority of the departments have already examined the proposal for creation of this separate Directorate.
The State Government had initially planned to set up the Directorate of Environment by the end of the last year. However, the Government had to go slow on the proposal due to paucity of funds, the official informed.
“The Government is not in a position to set up the Directorate immediately since a huge amount of fund is required for creation of new posts and allocation of funds for creation of infrastructure for the new Directorate,” the sources said.
The process had been further delayed since creation of the new Directorate involves a huge exercise as the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MPSCB) which is presently with the PHE and the Forest and Environment departments have to be attached with the new Directorate.
The Directorate will also work in close relation with the Mining and Geology, Industries and Forest departments.
“Other departments having stake in environment policy regulation will be brought under the new Directorate which will look after the factors affecting the environment in the State,” the official stated, adding that all government and non-government projects will have to obtain necessary clearance from the new Directorate before being executed.
The State Cabinet had, in June 2012, cleared the way for creation of the separate Directorate of Environment in June 2012 itself, to ensure proper protection of the environment.