Govt to fast-track infra, road projects in border areas

The environment ministry is planning to ease clearance norms for roads and infrastructure projects falling 100 kilometres within the Indo-China border. The ministry is creating a policy framework to fast-track such projects, environment minister Prakash Javadekar said on Thursday.

He was quick to add the process would be completed after bringing on board Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.

"But we won't compromise on environmental considerations. We will just make sure that we cut short the delays," Javadekar told reporters after meeting Defence Secretary R K Mathur along with environment ministry officials in the morning.

"We met them (defence ministry officials) at their request because many of their projects were held up. The issue was how to ensure that there would not be any delay. The answer is policy-based decision," he said.

The 4,056-km border with China touches four Himalayan states - Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

Javadekar said delays in defence projects were due to "case by case decision making process" and the ministry would make policy-led decisions to fast-track them. "We are evolving new ways of solutions," he said. The details of the policy framework would be worked out soon and the document would be put in the public domain.

The National Democratic Alliance government has been pushing for fast-tracking defence projects awaiting environment and forest clearances since assuming charge at the Centre.