Cab Sec panel promises green e-clearances
Starting July 1, 2014 getting environmental and forest clearances for large infrastructure projects could just be a click away with the government announcing launch of a portal, for such clearances. In recent years delay in green clearances has been one of the major concerns for industry.
“On the website one will have to upload all required documents and the concerned department will take it up for approval. Within the stipulated time period the applicant company can also check the status of their application and get clearances,” said Anil Swarup, chairman of the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) set up under the cabinet secretariat.
While speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Swarup said that the PMG is discussing with the department of mines to get its allocation process on to the portal as well. This system of online clearances of projects is similar to the ones followed by the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra and the Punjab Pollution Control Board.
Over 100 projects worth investment of over Rs 4 lakh crore are estimated to be held back due to delays in green clearances. The National Highways Authority of India had moved to Supreme Court against the environment ministry for delaying clearances of around 24 large road projects which were also held during the first half of last year.
The clearance of projects worth Rs 1.59 lakh crore was facilitated by the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) along with the PMG under the cabinet secretariat, after Veerappa Moily took charge of the environment ministry.
Posco’s steel plant in Orissa and NHPC’s Tawang -II hydroelectric project and Gujarat Pipavav Port for capacity expansion are some of the major projects that got green nods, among others. Projects which are waiting for EC include JK Lakshmi Cement’s proposed grinding unit in Orissa.
Source: Indian Express
Anil Swarup, annual general meeting, cabinet committee on investment, Confederation of Indian Industry, EC, environment ministry, Environmental and forest clearances environmental and forest clearances, Infrastructure projects, JK Lakshmi Cement’s, National Highways Authority of India, NHPC’s Tawang -II hydroelectric project, PMG, Posco’s steel plant, Project Monitoring Group, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Supreme Court, Veerappa Moily
