Directions: ​Read the following passage and answer the questions given below. Some words may be highlighted read carefully. 

 

The devastating monsoon floods in the region have raised concerns on the political decisions related to the environment. AK Roy, who chaired the Environment Committee discussion, said the recent disaster in the region was a direct result of selfish policymaking. The regional authorities responsible for the disaster-prone area must go back to the drawing table with the reports of the Committee. The task before them should be to correct the environmental policy decisions. This is going to be difficult because they need to balance human development pressures with stronger protection of the ecology of the disaster-prone area. The issue of allowing quarrying and mining in the region are arguably the most contentious. A way out could be to create the regulatory framework that was proposed by the Roy panel, in the form of an apex Ecology Authority and the regional level units, under the Environment (Protection) Act, and to adopt the zoning system that is proposed. This can keep harmful activities out of the vulnerable regions. The goal has to be sustainable development for the disaster-prone region as a whole. The role of big hydroelectric dams, built during an era of rising power demand, must now be reconsidered and proposals for building new dams should be done away with. Different forms of green energy led by solar power are available. A moratorium on quarrying and mining in the identified vulnerable regions is necessary to assess their environmental impact. The regional authority has acknowledged the need to review decisions affecting the environment. Public consultation on the expert reports that includes people’s representatives will find greater resonance now and help chart a sustainable path ahead.