The Hindu Business Line : Eco clearance for projects to be simplified in Bengal

Explaining the objectives behind the new EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Notification 2006 issued by the Union Government recently, Mr M.L. Meena, Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal, said here on Wednesday that the environmental clearance process for projects in the State would now be further simplified.

There would also be involvement of all stakeholders under the new system, which will ensure complete transparency. He was speaking at an interactive session arranged by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Meena also clarified that the Central Government would now be returning all the pending pre-notification cases back to the State Government for speedy disposal.

Admitting that the consultative process has taken nearly a year and half, Mr Meena said significantly, the validity of clearance would be for a period of five years for all projects and activities, except mining projects which get a 30-year validity and river valley projects 10-year validity. There would however be periodic monitoring of the projects.

He said as per the new dispensation, the various stages (in sequential order) for prior environmental clearance of new projects are screening (only for Category `B' projects and other activities), scoping, public consultation and appraisal.

He clarified that in the case of Category `B' projects or activities, clearance will entail scrutiny of application seeking prior clearance made in Form 1 by the State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) for determining whether or not the project or activity requires further environmental studies for the preparation of EIA report.

As per the new guidelines, projects requiring EIA report shall be termed Category B1 and the remaining projects shall be termed B2, and will not require an EIA report. It is pointed out that for categorisation of projects, except some items, the Ministry of Environment and Forests shall be issuing appropriate guidelines from time to time.

On transferability of environmental clearance (EC), the new norms say that "a prior EC granted for a specific project or activity to an applicant may be transferred during its validity to another legal person entitled to undertake the project activity on application by the transferor, or by transference with a written `No Objection' by the transferor, to and by the regulatory authority concerned. No reference to the Expert Appraisal Committee or SEAC is necessary in such cases.''

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