Lok Sabha Question No. 2739 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-15
Subject: Simplification of Environmental Clearance Process
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: ABHISHEK SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.2739

TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2015

## Simplification of Environmental Clearance Process

## 2739. SHRI ABHISHEK SINGH:

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

| (a)   | whether the Government has initiated steps to simplify/streamline the process of obtaining environmental and forest clearance including online submission and clearance;   |
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| (b)   | if so, the details and status thereof; and                                                                                                                                 |
| (c)   | the efforts being made to streamline the said process in sync with 'Made in India'/ease of doing business concepts?                                                        |

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

| (a) to (c)   | Yes, Sir. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has taken several measures to simplify/streamline the process of environment and forest clearances for making it more transparent without compromising the rigour of the process of environment and forest clearances including online submission of applications for Terms of Reference (TORs), Environment Clearance (EC) and Forest Clearance, to enable the Project Proponent to track his application. The other streamlining measures with respect to environment clearance process inter-alia include, amendments in EIA Notification, 2006 giving more powers to SEIAA, standardising the Terms of Reference for preparation of EIA Report, exempting the construction of industrial shed, school, college, hostels for education institution from requirement of EC, exemption to all highway projects in border States from scoping requirement and exempting all linear projects in border States from the requirement of public hearing subject to suitable conditions prescribed by the Ministry, non requirement of no objection for transfer of environment clearance of cancelled coal block to legal person to whom such block is subsequently allocated and also without referring to EAC / SEAC, amendment in CRZ Notification relaxing the criterion for construction of memorial/monuments within the CRZ area only in exceptional cases with adequate environmental safeguards, increasing the validity of Environment Clearance etc.   |
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The  other streamlining measures with respect to forest clearance process inter-alia include, launching of a GIS based decision support system to facilitate informed  decisions  on  forest clearance proposals, notification of rules for constitution of Regional Empowered Committees (RECs) at each Regional Office and delegation of powers to RECs to dispose proposals seeking diversion upto 40 ha. of forest land except those relating to mining, regularization of encroachment and hydel projects, allowed State Governments to issue permission for tree felling and  commencement  of  work  on  linear  projects  once  compensatory  levies  have been  realised  and  land  for  compensatory  afforestation,  wherever  required,  as stiulated in Stage-I Forest Clearance has been transferred and mutated in favour of the  State  Forest  Department,  accorded  general  approvals  for  construction  and widening  of  two  lane  roads  and  link  roads  within  100  kms.  of  Line  of  Actual Control and construction and widening of two lane roads within 117 Left Wing Extremism affected districts, irrespective of area of forest land involved, etc.

All  the  initiatives,  as  mentioned  above,  were  initiated  to  meet  the  sustainable development goals.

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