Land acquisition proof no longer mandatory for non-coal mining green nod

Non-coal mining project developers will not have to show proof of land acquisition as a pre-requisite for environmental clearance now, according to a recent environment ministry memorandum.

So far, the ministry required proof of land acquisition.

However, the norm was reconsidered following requests that consent from landowners should not be insisted upon at the time of grant of environmental clearance (EC) for non-coal mining projects and the status of land acquisition should not be linked with the grant of the clearance.

"The matter was referred to the non-coal mining Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for consideration. After due deliberation the sectoral EAC observed that the request for delinking the consent from landowners at the time of grant of EC for non-coal mining projects, appears to be reasonable and can be accepted," an official memorandum of the ministry said.

 

"Further, the EAC, inter alia, also observed that there are many mining projects where mining operations have started after grant of EC and land acquisition is still in progress in a phased manner based on requirement," it said.

The order noted that "the recommendations of the non-coal mining EAC were examined and comments and inputs on the applicability of the OM (office memorandum) dated 7th October 2014, as amended, on other sectors were also sought. Based on the inputs received, it was observed that insisting for land acquisition documents at the time of appraisal for EC may not be practical for certain other projects".