Lok Sabha Question No. 2586 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-10
Subject: Environmental Clearance
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: JAGDAMBIKA PAL

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2586

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.05.2016

## Environmental Clearance

## 2586.  SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

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

- (a) whether a large number of development and infrastructure projects are pending with the Government for environmental clearance;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT- wise; and
- (c) the time by which such projects are likely to be cleared along with the steps being taken for clearance of such projects expeditiously?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) & (b) The number of projects under consideration in the Ministry for environmental clearance are 527. The state wise details are at annexure.
- (c)  The  proposals  are  processed  for  approval  as  per  the  provisions  under  the  Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. These projects are accorded approval within the stipulated time frame and after receiving requisite document from the Project Proponent and State Government.

The Ministry has taken various initiatives and made the required changes in the policies, rules,  and  notifications  with  the  objective  to  create  a  clean,  simple  and  transparent process of environmental clearance without compromising on rigor of the environmental concerns.  Due  to  streamlining  of  process  and  various  initiatives  of  the  Ministry,  the average  time  taken  in  granting  environmental  clearance  before  4th  July  2014  was approximately  600  days,  which  has  now  come  down  to  192  days.  The  important initiatives are:

- Mandating online submission of applications for Terms of Reference (TOR) and Environmental Clearance (EC) from 4 th July  2014  in  the  Ministry  and  2 nd July 2015 in the SEIAA, with a view to bring more transparency in the system and expediting the decision making;
- Amendments  in  EIA  Notification,  2006  delegating  more  powers  to  States (SEIAAs);
- Standardised the Terms of Reference for 38 sectors for preparation of Environment  Impact  Assessment  Report  and  Environment  Management  Plan, and mandating finalisation of ToR in 30 days. This has drastically reduced the time required for getting TOR;

*****

Annexure referred to in reply of part (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred question no. 2586 due for reply on 10.05.2016 regarding 'Environmental Clearance' raised by SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL, Hon.ble MP.

| Projects under consideration with the Ministry for Environmental Clearance   | Projects under consideration with the Ministry for Environmental Clearance   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| State                                                                        | No. of Projects                                                              |
| Andaman and Nicobar                                                          | 0                                                                            |
| Andhra Pradesh                                                               | 32                                                                           |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                            | 11                                                                           |
| Assam                                                                        | 7                                                                            |
| Bihar                                                                        | 4                                                                            |
| Chandigarh                                                                   | 11                                                                           |
| Chhattisgarh                                                                 | 11                                                                           |
| Dadar &Nagar Haveli                                                          | 0                                                                            |
| Daman and Diu                                                                | 0                                                                            |
| Delhi                                                                        | 0                                                                            |
| Goa                                                                          | 0                                                                            |
| Gujarat                                                                      | 64                                                                           |
| Haryana                                                                      | 13                                                                           |
| Himachal Pradesh                                                             | 11                                                                           |
| Jammu and Kashmir                                                            | 4                                                                            |
| Jharkhand                                                                    | 22                                                                           |
| Karnataka                                                                    | 21                                                                           |
| Kerala                                                                       | 3                                                                            |
| Lakshadweep                                                                  | 0                                                                            |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                               | 19                                                                           |
| Maharashtra                                                                  | 53                                                                           |
| Manipur                                                                      | 0                                                                            |
| Meghalaya                                                                    | 1                                                                            |
| Mizoram                                                                      | 0                                                                            |
| Nagaland                                                                     | 0                                                                            |
| Orissa                                                                       | 23                                                                           |
| Pondicherry                                                                  | 0                                                                            |
| Punjab                                                                       | 8                                                                            |
| Rajasthan                                                                    | 87                                                                           |
| Sikkim                                                                       | 0                                                                            |
| Tamil Nadu                                                                   | 39                                                                           |
| Telangana                                                                    | 13                                                                           |
| Tripura                                                                      | 2                                                                            |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                                | 16                                                                           |
| Uttarakhand                                                                  | 35                                                                           |
| West Bengal                                                                  | 17                                                                           |
| TOTAL                                                                        | 527                                                                          |