Government seeks time till December 15 to set up environment regulator

NEW DELHI: The government has told the Supreme Court that it will need time till December 15 to finalise the design and process of setting up of the proposed environment regulator after consultations with state governments, but the court is yet to take a call on its plea for an extension.

That application is still pending before the forest bench, comprising Justices JS Khehar, Jasti Chelameswar and AK Sikri, amicus curiae ADN Rao said.

The court has earlier expressed impatience over the government's feet dragging on setting up the regulator, and may or may not grant more time to the new government to get its act together.

Government sources, however, said that it was open to the idea of having such a regulator and may eventually confer on it the status of a statutory body through a parliamentary enactment.

The regulator is expected to monitor the environment impact of big projects and ensure compliance with clearance conditions.

The three-month window will be used to complete the process of getting inputs from states on the contours of such a regulator, sources said. The environment ministry plans to hold a day-long meeting with state ministers on October 15.