Environment Ministry proposes separate authority to push green nod in states

New Delhi: The Environment Ministry has proposed the creation of a separate body to expedite the process of issuing green clearances in states, according to officials.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued a draft notification to establish an authority called the Standing Authority on Environment Impact Assessment (SAEIA), along with a Standing Committee on Environment Impact Appraisal (SCEIA) for each state and union territory.

"The two new bodies will function at the state level by evaluating development projects categorised as Category B and providing environmental clearance in a timely manner. Category B projects include construction, buildings, mining, and industries," read the draft notification issued last week.

"The new bodies will operate in the event that the current bodies become non-functional, with a maximum operational period of six months, and a possible extension of up to an additional six months. If the application is not appraised by the state level committee within a period of 120 days, the application shall be forwarded to SCEIA for consideration," it added.

Previously, under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006, the Centre had established two important state-level bodies to evaluate Category B development projects: the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC). These bodies consisted of environmental experts.

The SEAC played a technical advisory role to the SEIAA. The "standing committee" will serve a technical advisory role to the "standing authority" now.