Ministries call to reduce delays in environment clearances

Long delays in environment and forest clearances are turning out to be a major hindrance to implementation of various development projects.

The ministries of power, coal, railways and roads have recently made a fresh appeal to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, headed by Jairam Ramesh, to curtail the time taken for giving environment and forest clearances to these projects.

The power ministry, which recently met with states for expediting the capacity addition of 78,700 Mw in the 11th Five-Year Plan, has noted that states have sought its intervention for saving the time needed in seeking these clearances.

“Clearance for thermal and hydro projects, in particular, if delayed, makes the entire project schedule go haywire. Thus, states have been told to act fast in obtaining environment and forest clearances for the proposed capacity addition of over 80,000 Mw in the 12th Plan,” power ministry sources told Business Standard.

The coal ministry, which has estimated a total coal production of 680 million tonnes (mt) in 11th Plan and 1,055 mt in the 12th Plan, has complained that the present process is too lengthy and thus terms of reference be prepared separately for open cast and underground mines.

According to ministry sources, model terms of reference should be finalised and a one-time final forest clearance be given instead of the current procedure of two stages. “In most of the cases, proposals are pending for 3 to 5 years and there is a need for reduction in the time involved,” sources said.

In case of slippage in various railway projects in the 11th Plan, the railway ministry has cited delays in land acquisition and forestry clearances as one of the reasons. Other factors responsible for the shortfall in network augmentation works include abnormal fluctuations in steel prices, adverse law and order condition in the north-eastern region and contractual failures.

Further, the defence ministry and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have sought early environment and forest clearances for expediting road development in border states. BRO has recently brought to the notice of the Ministry of Environment Forests that its proposals have been pending for over four years.