Lok Sabha Question No. 1051 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-22
Subject: Pending Projects
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: HARI BABU KAMBHAMPATI, PREM DAS RAI, VISHNU DAYAL RAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1051

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.11.2016

## Pending Projects

## 1051.  DR. KAMBHAMPATI HARIBABU: SHRI PREM DAS RAI: SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  a  number  of  projects  including  infrastructure  development  projects  are pending for clearance at various stages;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, sector and State-wise including Jharkhand;
- (c) whether  there  is  any  proposal  to  complete  the  process  of  environmental/forest clearances within a period of 100 days and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the  other  steps  being  taken  to  expedite  the  process  of  environmental  and  forest clearances for such projects?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a)  &  (b)  Pending  projects  involving  environmental  clearance and  forest  clearance are  722 and  146  respectively  in  number.    The  details  are  given  at  Annexure  1  &  2 respectively.
- (c) The Ministry appraises  and  grants environmental clearance under Environment Impact  Assessment  Notification,  2006,  amended  from  time  to  time  which prescribes timelines for different stages. Ministry has introduced online application system from 3 rd July, 2014 and the average number of days required for environmental clearance for offline cases was approximately 600 days, which has now come down to 192 days.
- (d) The major initiatives taken by the Ministry to expedite the process of Environment  Clearance inter-alia include  use  of  information    technology, increasing of Regional  Offices from  six to ten, constitution of  Regional Empowered  Committees  (REC),  delegation  of  powers  to  Regional  Office  for forest  diversion,  grant  of  FC  by  RECs  for  linear  projects,  delegation  of  more powers  to  State  level  Environment  Impact  Assessment  Authorities  (SEIAAs), standardization of Terms of Reference for all sectors, finalisation of TORs within 30 days, general approval for roads and other strategic infrastructure in area of

100  km  from  line  of  actual  control,  exemption  to  highway  projects  in  border states  from  scoping  requirement  and  exempting  linear  projects  in  border  states from the requirement of public hearing subject to suitable conditions, delegation of  powers  to  District  Environment  Impact  Assessment  Authority  (DEIAA) headed  by  District  Magistrate/District  Collector  for  mining  of  minor  minerals including sand, constitution of additional Expert Appraisal Committees, regular meetings  of  the  Expert  Appraisal  Committees,  review  of  pending  projects  at various levels in the government etc.

The  major  initiatives  taken  to  streamlining  forest  clearance  process  include receipt of  applications online, processing  applications in a time bound manner, use of Geographical Information System (GIS) based decision  support system, advance identification of compact/sizeable blocks of non-forest land or revenue forest land free from encumbrance/ encroachment for compensatory afforestation, depositing of compensatory levies with Adhoc CAMPA through eportal  etc.    States/  UTs  have  been  advised  to  ensure  that  investigations  and surveys carried out in connection with development projects such as transmission lines, hydro-electric projects, seismic surveys, exploration for oil drilling, mining etc.  in  wildlife  sanctuaries,  national  parks  and  sample  plots  demarcated  by  the Forest  Department do not attract the provisions of the FC Act as long as these surveys do not involve any clearing of forest or cutting of trees, and operations are restricted to clearing of bushes and lopping of tree branches for purpose of sighting.

*****

## ANNEXURE-1

ANNEXURE-1 REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1051  DUE  FOR  REPLY  ON 22.11.2016  REGARDING  'PENDING  PROJECTS'  RAISED  BY  DR. KAMBHAMPATI  HARIBABU:  SHRI  PREM  DAS  RAI:  SHRI  VISHNU DAYAL RAM, HON'BLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

## Environmental Clearance

| S. No.   | State / UT                       | Industry   | Non Coal Mining   | Coal Mining   | Infra/CRZ /Miscella neous   | New Construction   | Thermal   | River Valley HEP   | Nuclear, Defence and Related Projects   |   Total |
|----------|----------------------------------|------------|-------------------|---------------|-----------------------------|--------------------|-----------|--------------------|-----------------------------------------|---------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                   | 16         | 11                | -             | 18                          | -                  | -         | -                  | 2                                       |      47 |
| 2        | Andaman & Nicobar                | -          | -                 | -             | 4                           | -                  | -         | -                  | 5                                       |      09 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                | 2          | -                 | -             | -                           | -                  | -         | 11                 | -                                       |      13 |
| 4        | Assam                            | 9          | -                 | -             | -                           | -                  | 1         | -                  | -                                       |      10 |
| 5        | Bihar                            | 1          | 2                 | -             | -                           | -                  | 1         | -                  | -                                       |      04 |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh                     | 4          | 10                | 3             | -                           | -                  | 1         | -                  | -                                       |      18 |
| 7        | Delhi                            | -          | -                 | -             | -                           | 1                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      01 |
| 8        | Goa                              | -          | -                 | -             | 1                           | -                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      01 |
| 9        | Gujarat                          | 45         | 13                | -             | 20                          | 2                  | -         | -                  | 1                                       |      81 |
| 10       | Haryana                          | 2          | 6                 | -             | 4                           | 4                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      16 |
| 11       | Himachal Pradesh                 | 1          | 11                | -             | 2                           | -                  | -         | 4                  | -                                       |      18 |
| 12       | Jammu and Kashmir                | -          | -                 | -             | -                           | 1                  | -         | 1                  | -                                       |      02 |
| 13       | Jharkhand                        | 7          | 13                | 8             | -                           | -                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      28 |
| 14       | Karnataka                        | 12         | 6                 | -             | 7                           | -                  | -         | 5                  | -                                       |      30 |
| 15       | Kerala                           | 1          | -                 | -             | 6                           | -                  | -         | -                  | 2                                       |      09 |
| 16       | Lakshadweep                      | -          | -                 | -             | 1                           | -                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      01 |
| 17       | Madhya Pradesh                   | 1          | 12                | 2             | -                           | -                  | 1         | 3                  | 1                                       |      20 |
| 18       | Maharashtra                      | 28         | 10                | 2             | 60                          | 36                 | 1         | 2                  | -                                       |     139 |
| 19       | Meghalaya                        | -          | 1                 | -             | -                           | -                  | -         | 1                  | -                                       |      02 |
| 20       | Odisha                           | 4          | 6                 | 5             | 4                           | -                  | -         | 1                  | -                                       |      20 |
| 21       | Puducherry                       | -          | -                 | -             | 4                           | -                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      04 |
| 22       | Punjab                           | 3          | 6                 | -             | 3                           | 1                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      13 |
| 23       | Rajasthan                        | 9          | 84                | -             | 4                           | -                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      97 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu                       | 9          | -                 | -             | 28                          | 6                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      43 |
| 25       | Telangana                        | 9          | 1                 | 2             | -                           | -                  | 1         | -                  | -                                       |      13 |
| 26       | Tripura                          | 3          | -                 | -             | -                           | -                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      03 |
| 27       | Uttar Pradesh                    | 9          | 1                 | 2             | -                           | -                  | 3         | -                  | -                                       |      15 |
| 28       | Uttarakhand                      | -          | 44                | -             | -                           | 2                  | -         | 3                  | -                                       |      49 |
| 29       | West Bengal                      | 9          | -                 | -             | 1                           | -                  | 2         | 1                  | 2                                       |      15 |
| 30       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu | 1          | -                 | -             | -                           | -                  | -         | -                  | -                                       |      01 |
|          | Total                            | 185        | 237               | 24            | 167                         | 53                 | 11        | 32                 | 13                                      |     722 |

## ANNEXURE-2

ANNEXURE-2 REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1051 DUE  FOR  REPLY  ON  22.11.2016  REGARDING  'PENDING  PROJECTS'  RAISED  BY  DR.  KAMBHAMPATI HARIBABU: SHRI PREM DAS RAI: SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM, HON'BLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

| S. No.            | State/Category   | Defence   | Dispensary /Hospital   | Drinking Water   | Hydel   | Irrigation   | Mining   | Others   | Prospecting   | Quarrying   | Railway   | Retail Outlet   | Road   | School   | Thermal   | Transmission line   | Wind Power   |   Grand Total |
|-------------------|------------------|-----------|------------------------|------------------|---------|--------------|----------|----------|---------------|-------------|-----------|-----------------|--------|----------|-----------|---------------------|--------------|---------------|
| 1                 | Andhra Pradesh   | -         | - -                    | -                | -       | -            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | 1               | -      | -        | -         |                     | 1            |             2 |
| 2 Arunachal       | Pradesh          | -- -      | -                      | -                | -       | 1            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | -               | -      | -        | -         | -                   |              |             1 |
| 3 Chhattisgarh    |                  | - -       | -                      | -                | 1       | 5            | 1        | -        | -             | 1           | -         | 4               | -      | -        | 1         |                     | -            |            13 |
| 4                 | Goa              | - -       | -                      | -                | -       | 2            | 1        | -        | 1             | -           | -         | -               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |             4 |
| 5 Gujarat         | -                | -         | -                      | -                | 1       | 1            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | 4               | -      | -        | 3         |                     | 1            |            10 |
| 6                 | Haryana          | - -       | -                      | -                | -       | -            | 2        | -        | -             | -           | 4         | 5               | -      | -        | 1         |                     | -            |            12 |
| 7                 | Himachal Pradesh | - -       | -                      | 3                | -       | -            | 3        | -        | -             | -           | -         | 9               | 1      | -        | -         |                     | -            |            16 |
| 8 Jharkhand       | -                | -         | -                      | -                | 1       | 2            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | -               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |             3 |
| 9 Karnataka       |                  | - -       | -                      | 1                | -       | -            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | 3               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |             4 |
| 10 Kerala         | -                | -         | -                      | 1                | -       | -            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | -               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |             1 |
| 11 Madhya Pradesh | 1                | -         | -                      | -                | 3       | 2            | 2        | 1        | -             | -           | -         | 5               | -      | -        | 4         |                     | -            |            18 |
| 12 Maharashtra    | -                |           | - -                    | -                | 2       | -            | 3        | -        | -             | 1           | -         | 1               | -      | -        | 1         |                     | 1            |             9 |
| 13 Odisha         | -                | -         | -                      | -                | -       | 25           | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | -               | -      | 1        | 1         |                     | -            |            27 |
| 14 Punjab         | -                | -         | -                      | -                | -       | -            | 3        | -        | -             | -           | 4         | 2               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |             9 |
| 15 Rajasthan      |                  | 1 -       | -                      | -                | -       | -            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | -               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |             1 |
| 16                | Telangana        | - -       | 3                      | -                | 1       | 1            | -        | -        | -             | -           | -         | -               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |             5 |
| 17                | Uttarakhand      | - 1       | -                      | 3                | 1       |              | 1        | -        | -             | -           | -         | 5               | -      | -        | -         |                     | -            |            11 |
| Grand Total       |                  | 2         | 1 3                    | 8                | 10      | 39           | 16       | 1        | 1             | 2           | 8         | 39              | 1      | 1        | 11        |                     | 3            |           146 |

## Forest Clearance