Forest clearance process goes online

Move will help bring transparency and accountability said Prakash Javadekar

On the lines of the online system for granting environment clearances, the government on Tuesday launched a portal for the filing and monitoring of forest clearance proposals.

“This is one more step towards bringing transparency, accountability, predictability and policy-based approvals,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said while launching the web portal here. Javadekar also said the ministry was mooting a process to give environmental and forest clearances simultaneously to projects, including granting green nod within a single day. The ministry will accept applications both online and offline for the first month and from 15 August all new forest clearance proposals will be accepted only online.

“Valuable time will thus not be lost in seeking additional information from the States and project proponents, once a proposal seeking Forest Clearance has been accepted by concerned authority in the State Government,” said a ministry release.

Javadekar said that the online system introduced for giving environment clearance to projects from June 5 has gone entirely online since July 1.

"I can say today that ours is 'online' as well as 'on time' (ministry)," Javadekar said.

The Ministry had received 14 online applications till 9 July, Javadekar had said in Lok Sabha in a written reply last week.