Lok Sabha Question No. 831 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-14
Subject: Environmental Clearance for Projects
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNPURIA, SRINIVAS KESINENI, LAKHAN LAL SAHU, BANSHILAL MAHTO

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 831

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2018

## Environmental Clearance for Projects

## 831. SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNAPURIA:

SHRI KESINENI NANI: SHRI LAKHAN LAL SAHU: DR. BANSHILAL MAHATO:

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

- (a) whether a number of projects including projects related to road construction, hydroelectric and railways from various States are pending for environmental clearance, if so, the details thereof, project and State/UT-wise including Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh;
- (b) the time when the proposals were submitted, reasons for delay and the present status of each of such project along with the details of projects approved during the last three years and the current year;
- (c) whether the time-frame for mandatory forest and environmental clearances to new industrial units is too long and if so, the details of time taken normally to accord approval;
- (d) whether the Government has any mechanism to speed up the environmental clearance of infrastructure projects and ensure transparency and accountability and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government has taken steps to reduce the time-frame considerably and make environmental clearance more easy, simplified and transparent and if so, the details thereof and the time by which each of the above projects are going to be cleared by the Government?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) to (c) No project for road construction is pending with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Railway projects do not require Environment Clearance as per the Environment  Impact  Assessment  Notification,  2006  and  its  amendments  from  time  to time.  12  hydro-electric  proposals  are  at  various  stages  of  appraisal  under  Environment Impact  Assessment  Notification,  2006  and  its  amendment  from  time  to  time  in  the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. Details of the pending projects are annexed. Ministry accorded 24 Environment clearances for hydro electric projects and 14 Environment clearances for Road projects during the last three years. During the current year  Ministry  accorded  3  Environment  clearances  for  hydro  electric  projects  and  3

Environment clearances for Road projects. The projects are being appraised, as per the timelines  mentioned  in  the  Environment  Impact  Assessment  Notification,  2006  and  its amendment from time to time.

- (d) & (e) The Ministry has taken several steps to expedite the process of environmental and forest clearances which inter alia include introduction of Single window clearance portalPARIVESH(Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental  Single  window  Hub),  online  system  of  processing  of  environmental clearances,  introduction  of  Short  Message  Service  (SMS)  functionality  for  Project proponent,  auto  alert  system;  separate  module  to  track  the  progress  of  recommended projects,  delegation  of  powers  to  Regional  Empowered  Committee  (REC)  to  finally dispose of proposals seeking forest clearance to linear projects, etc.

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## Annexure

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of Loksabha Un Starred Question no 831 for reply on 14.12.2018

## State/UT wise list of hydro-electric pending for environmental clearance

| State/UT          |   No. of pending proposals |
|-------------------|----------------------------|
| Assam             |                          1 |
| Bihar             |                          1 |
| Jammu and Kashmir |                          2 |
| Jharkhand         |                          1 |
| Karnataka         |                          3 |
| Madhya Pradesh    |                          1 |
| Meghalaya         |                          1 |
| Rajasthan         |                          1 |
| Uttarakhand       |                          1 |
| Grand Total       |                         12 |