Green panel suggests new law for environment project approvals

New Delhi: A government-appointed panel headed by former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian has questioned the environment clearance procedure saying more than 99 per cent of projects get cleared anyway, with little or no scrutiny despite taking anywhere up to three years, which means neither industry nor environment gains anything from the procedure. Instead, the committee has suggested a system that is strong on monitoring and compliance — two areas of weakness in the present system. The committee has recommended putting in place a new law for approving projects, monitoring compliance, and punishing violations.

The high-level panel, which was reviewing the environmental laws, regulations and rules, submitted its recommendations to Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday. The minister told ET, “Compliance will be the essence of the new architecture of the report, which will help us revamp the environment and forest clearance processes, and make it more transparent, and make decision making more efficient.”

Speaking to ET, Subramanian said, “There is need for change, to improve the processes through which projects are approved and monitored, and to ensure that environment also improves.” The former cabinet secretary said “the effort has been to reduce the inspector raj system” and use “technology to monitor and ensure compliance”.

He said the committee had built on the existing mechanisms to optimise the efforts to balance developmental imperatives causing least possible damage to environment.

Sources said the committee’s approach to the clearance process is based on the “principle of utmost good faith”. Project proponents will in a form of selfdeclaration set out the details of their project, the technology used, the level of emissions and pollutants, and the steps they will take to address the environmental consequences.