Bhubaneswar, Aug. 4: The Centre plans to set up a regulatory body to look into all aspects of pollution.

“The new regulatory body will look into all the aspects relating to pollution. It will act as a platform and initiate dialogue with all stakeholders. It will also look into the implementation of coastal zone regulations,” said Union environment and forest secretary Tishyarakshit Chatterjee while delivering a speech during a workshop on “Environment Impact Assessment” organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

Stressing that keeping the environment clean should be seen as a business proposition, Chhatterjee said: “Industrialists should consider environment as a new area of business and try to think of it as a way to make money as an additional revenue stream. One can earn money through sewage treatment plant, cleaning river banks and bio- medical waste management.”

Expressing concern over the decreasing levels of the ground water and the growing pollution load, the Union secretary said: “More stress should be given on baseline data generation before setting up their industries. Baselines (conditions) need to be updated every year. The baseline will study the availability of land, mass and water.”

Pointing out that the ministry of environment and forest’s rejection of cases is only 6 per cent, Chatterjee claimed that the ministry was clearing all the proposals within 90 days.

Emphasising on plantation in industrial belts, the Union secretary said that beside the corporate social responsibility factor, growing trees was important for our survival. “Water is saved (if trees are grown) and the society is protected. So, plantation of trees should not be seen only as a project by the industries.”

Orissa forest and environment minister Debiprasad Mishra stressed that good practices need to be evaluated and special care should be taken to control pollution in polluted areas such as Jharsuguda. He said that interventions should be both statutory and social. “A balance should be struck between development and ecological protection,” he said.

Chairman of CII environment task force Pradeep Dhobale underscored the necessity of creating awareness on environment impact assessment.

CII state chapter chief BL Bagra said: “During environment impact assessment, the emphasis should be on planning and design. A detailed cost-benefit should be prepared.”