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Green move

After almost 17 years, the Madhya Pradesh (MP) government has come up with its new environment policy. The policy attempts to strike a balance between development and conservation of the environment with the support of Panchayats and public cooperation.

A government press release says that there will be a system to audit polluting industries on the basis of environment standards. Diverting forest land for non-forest purposes will now be restricted. The entire state will be declared a pollution control area. Water and air quality monitoring stations will be set up in some areas. Ecological sensitive areas and places of cultural heritage will be notified and mining activities will be regulated, the release said.

Over the years, rapid industrial growth has led to urbanisation. MP's population is growing at the rate of 2.3 per cent every year. The forest area in the state, which is 34.84 per cent of the total geographical area has decreased at the rate of 473 square km annually. About 22 million cattle graze in the forests, thus increasing deforestation. But it remains to be seen how far the new policy can solve the environmental problems of the state.

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