Industrial zone administration wants to play environment watchdog

The power to assess and ratify the environmental impact of new projects coming up in Ho Chi Minh City industrial zones may be transferred from the environmental regulator to zone authorities at the latter’s request.

Ngo Anh Tuan, deputy head of the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA), said his agency would soon send a request to the city People’s Committee. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is currently entrusted with the task. Earlier, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment released a circular, effective from January 7, saying the management board of economic, industrial, export processing, and hi-tech zones can be allowed to evaluate and approve projects if they satisfy certain conditions. Tuan added that HEPZA would also ask the city administration for authority to approve investors’ environmental protection commitments which now invests in district-level people’s committees. Source: TBKTSG Online