The union government is unlikely to clear Nayachar chemical hub project, an ambitious chemical project of West Bengal government. It's reluctance to implement project may be due to changed political equations at centre and state level besides its detrimental environmental effects.

Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee, a key constituent of UPA government, has been opposing the project since its inception and centre is not expected to take any step without her consent.

However, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee led state government is still confident for the project to be approved by the central government for the larger interests of the state.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, in the sidelines of a programme at the Zoological Survey of India, said, "Stringent environment rules should be followed before the environment clearance is granted to the PCPIR at Nayachar." He said that such projects have caused drastic changes in the surrounding environment as a chemical project has done in Gujarat.

Mr Ramesh said that the member secretary of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Sashidhar Reddy, who recently visited Sunderbans, is likely to submit his report very soon to enable the government for taking necessary steps for its conservation.