Govt to delink environment, forest clearances for linear projects

NEW DELHI: Government has decided to delink environmental and forest clearances for linear projects like highways so that they can now be executed on non-forest land without waiting for forest clearance, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar informed Lok Sabha today.

Environmental clearances for highway projects, which involved diversion of forest land, were earlier linked with stage-one forest clearance, Javadekar said.

"It has now been decided to delink environmental and forest clearances for linear projects, including highways," he said, replying to a question.