A week into office, environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan is in damage control mode. She?s busy improving relations with the infrastructure ministries that were spoiled during her predecessor Jairam Ramesh?s tenure. Consequently, her current focus is on getting the post-Jairam environment right.
Natarajan is diplomatic and will never officially put any blame on Ramesh for the strained relations between the environment ministry and the ministries of power, coal and surface transport over clearances to various projects.
All she has to say when asked about the subject is: ?We believe sustainable development will happen… Development and environment can go hand in hand.?
Natarajan?s recipe for rebuilding relationships with other relevant ministries is simple: Meet the ministers concerned and thrash out problem areas. She made a beginning by meeting commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday. Sources said the two discussed the proposed manufacturing policy and industry concerns on green clearances for projects.
?We had a good discussion on several matters relating to industry and the manufacturing policy. I think we are in a position now to move forward in taking a final view in several matters,? Sharma said.
?She is trying to find out why projects are not moving forward in various ministries and departments and how these can be solved. Hence, a lot of meetings are planned,? an environment ministry official told FE.
More such discussions are on the cards. Natarajan may meet ministers in charge of of tribal affairs, power and roads. With the building of bridges and meaningful discussions as she had with Sharma, projects coming under these portfolios stand good chances of taking off.
Natarajan?s background as a practising lawyer could also help in handling some 5,000-odd lawsuits, including some high-profile ones with Posco, Vedanta and Lavasa.
The new minister is also in favour of single-window clearance and insists that she is not under any pressure to act fast on major pending projects. She has said that she would judge them on their merit and was not worried that her decisions could create serious opposition from any quarter.
On the climate change front, she has reaffirmed India?s commitment towards ensuring a second phase of the Kyoto Protocol. She finds it important to remain engaged on issues such as equity, accelerated transfer of technologies and trade measures at and beyond December?s Durban talks and the crucial role of Indo-US programmes regarding the science of climate change to strengthen ties.
At her recent meeting with US special envoy for climate change Todd Stern, Natarajan agreed that the operationlisation of the Cancun agreement in a balanced manner should be the goal for the meeting of the Conference of Parties at Durban.