Impact of Judicial Doctrine and Geo Spatial Technologies in Refinement of Environmental Impact Assessment Laws and Policies in India

Abstract

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) provides the perspective of strategic rebuilding of environment and sustainable development. The Constitution of India, 1950; Environment Protection Act, 1986 and EIA Notification, 2006 endeavours to protect and improve environment by envisaging environmental clearance of projects on the basis of environmental assessment report (EAR), environmental management plan (EMP), and public hearing. The social and strategic impact assessment (SIA) in EIA law in India is in constant experimentations at judicial, technological and procedural refinements. However the population growth, urbanization and alteration in land use pattern necessitated for application of geospatial technologies viz; remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Habitat Suitability (HS) models are employed for EIA process. The paper synthesizes the need for judicial and technological refinements in making EIA laws and governance an effective tool for sustainable development and equity in India.