Ministry of Environment and Forests
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
EXPERT COMMITTEE CONSTITUTED TO ASSESS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS REQUIRING
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
14:50 IST
An Expert Committee has been constituted for environment impact assessment
(EIA) of new construction projects and new industrial estates as required
under the EIA Notification dated 7th July 2004. The Committee, headed by
Shri Paritosh C. Tyagi, former Chairman of Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB), will scrutinize the environmental impacts of new Construction
Projects and new Industrial Estates and will examine the Environmental
Management Plan prepared and submitted by the Project authorities. It will
suggest safeguards, where feasible, to mitigate the adverse environmental
impact and also pollution prevention devices, and will recommend clearance
or rejection of the projects from environmental angle with or without
safeguards. The proposal for Environmental Clearance on which the advice of
the Committee is sought will be placed before the Committee after
preliminary scrutiny in the Ministry. In case the Committee is of the
opinion that additional information is required for considering the
proposal, the same shall be conveyed to the project authorities at the first
meeting and, based on the additional information supplied by project
authorities, a final decision shall be taken at the next meeting. More than
two sittings to consider the same case shall be only in very exceptional
cases. In case, the Committee is of the opinion that it is necessary to
obtain comments of other agencies, experts and committees, they may record
their observations and suggestions as a proviso while recommending the
proposal for clearance or rejection but will not wait for such comments
before sending the Committee?s recommendations. Site visit shall be
undertaken, with prior approval of the Ministry, to look into specific
points and aspects to be recorded in the minutes of the committee and the
site visit team shall comprise of not more than two members who are subject
matter specialists with expertise in the identified areas of enquiry. New
townships, industrial townships, settlement colonies, commercial complexes,
hotel complexes, hospitals, industrial estates and office complexes for
1,000 persons or more or discharging sewage of 50,000 litres per day or more
with an investment upto Rs.50 crore or more are required to obtain
environmental clearance from the Central. A notification to this effect,
amending the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Notification, 1994, was
issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on 7th July 2004. The
Notification stipulates that new construction projects which were undertaken
without obtaining the clearance required under this Notification and where
construction work has not commenced upto plinth level and new industrial
estates where construction work has not commenced or the expenditure does
not exceed 25 per cent of the total sanctioned cost shall be required to
obtain clearance under the EIA Notification,1994. The projects relating to
construction of townships, industrial townships, settlement colonies,
commercial complexes, hotel complexes, hospitals, industrial estates and
office complexes adversely impact environment including wetlands, rivers,
streams, lakes, coastal waters and other water bodies posing serious health
hazards.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
EXPERT COMMITTEE CONSTITUTED TO ASSESS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS REQUIRING
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
14:50 IST
An Expert Committee has been constituted for environment impact assessment
(EIA) of new construction projects and new industrial estates as required
under the EIA Notification dated 7th July 2004. The Committee, headed by
Shri Paritosh C. Tyagi, former Chairman of Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB), will scrutinize the environmental impacts of new Construction
Projects and new Industrial Estates and will examine the Environmental
Management Plan prepared and submitted by the Project authorities. It will
suggest safeguards, where feasible, to mitigate the adverse environmental
impact and also pollution prevention devices, and will recommend clearance
or rejection of the projects from environmental angle with or without
safeguards. The proposal for Environmental Clearance on which the advice of
the Committee is sought will be placed before the Committee after
preliminary scrutiny in the Ministry. In case the Committee is of the
opinion that additional information is required for considering the
proposal, the same shall be conveyed to the project authorities at the first
meeting and, based on the additional information supplied by project
authorities, a final decision shall be taken at the next meeting. More than
two sittings to consider the same case shall be only in very exceptional
cases. In case, the Committee is of the opinion that it is necessary to
obtain comments of other agencies, experts and committees, they may record
their observations and suggestions as a proviso while recommending the
proposal for clearance or rejection but will not wait for such comments
before sending the Committee?s recommendations. Site visit shall be
undertaken, with prior approval of the Ministry, to look into specific
points and aspects to be recorded in the minutes of the committee and the
site visit team shall comprise of not more than two members who are subject
matter specialists with expertise in the identified areas of enquiry. New
townships, industrial townships, settlement colonies, commercial complexes,
hotel complexes, hospitals, industrial estates and office complexes for
1,000 persons or more or discharging sewage of 50,000 litres per day or more
with an investment upto Rs.50 crore or more are required to obtain
environmental clearance from the Central. A notification to this effect,
amending the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Notification, 1994, was
issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on 7th July 2004. The
Notification stipulates that new construction projects which were undertaken
without obtaining the clearance required under this Notification and where
construction work has not commenced upto plinth level and new industrial
estates where construction work has not commenced or the expenditure does
not exceed 25 per cent of the total sanctioned cost shall be required to
obtain clearance under the EIA Notification,1994. The projects relating to
construction of townships, industrial townships, settlement colonies,
commercial complexes, hotel complexes, hospitals, industrial estates and
office complexes adversely impact environment including wetlands, rivers,
streams, lakes, coastal waters and other water bodies posing serious health
hazards.