Panel for faster environmental nod to power projects

A Parliamentary panel has recommended that the Environment Ministry should take a more liberal approach towards issues related to power transmission projects.

The recommendation is part of the 14th report on 'Transmission and Distribution Systems and Networks' (Ministry of Power) submitted in the Lok Sabha today.

It was prepared by the Standing Committee on Energy, headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"As laying the transmission lines has negligible impact on forests and there is no alteration of land use patterns, therefore, existing stringent procedure for according clearance need to be reviewed," the report said.

The committee has recommended that the Ministry of Environment and Forests should deal with the transmission related issues more liberally so that work is not hampered for want of clearances.

According to the report, efforts should be made to ensure that power transmission projects get faster clearance, since they have minimal environmental impact.

"As there is no acquisition of land for construction of transmission lines, the Ministry of Environment and Forests should look into this matter so as to make the procedure streamlined and that the laying of transmission lines can progress without much hassles," it noted.

The inter-regional transmission capacity of the national grid is 20,750 Mw and is likely to increase to 32,650 Mw by end of the 11th five-year plan.