New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Monday asked the ministry of environment and forests to set up a national environment regulator with offices in every state to “appraise and monitor” the process for granting green clearances and how the regulations are complied with.

Industry expects the move to make the process, now fraught with uncertainties and huge delays, more transparent and efficient. At present, more than 4,600 proposals are pending with the forest advisory committee (FAC) for final clearance.

Supreme Court has asked the environment ministry to set up national environment regulator with office in every state to “appraise and monitor” the process for granting green clearances and how the regulations are complied with. Read text of this order dated 6 Jan 2014.

Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Angul and Koraput see maximum diversion

As many as 18077.329 hectares (ha) of forest land have been diverted for mining activities in the state till June 2013. “About 52040.805 ha of different types of forest land are leased out in the mining areas. On approval of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, about 18077.329 hectares of forest land are diverted in accordance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1980,” state Forest and Environment Minister, Bijayshree Routray said in a written reply to the state assembly.

New Delhi : Dogged by the unceasing sluggish progress in coal mining, the Centre has formed a jumbo panel of officials from associated ministries, including environment and forests as well as of co

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today directed the Haryana government to avoid awarding contract to private contractors for felling dead and dry trees in forest areas in the state as it was hearing a petition in this regard.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar directed that though the tender process for inviting private contractors can go, the contract shall not be awarded.

Forest department to involve tribal people living in reserve forest area

At last count, Erode district had a forest cover of 2,27,678 hectares — 1,45,531 in Sathyamangalam division and 82,147 in Erode division — accounting for 27.7 per cent of the district’s geographical area of 5,722 square kilometres.

The environment ministry told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that a new green regulator was unnecessary as an appropriate mechanism to monitor and enforce compliance with conditions that govern cle

The government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that a ‘super’ environment regulator may not be required if an equally effective regulatory system, adhering to the court's guiding principles in

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to apprise it within four weeks of the steps being taken for appointment of a national regulator for evaulating projects, enforcing environmental condit

The extremely low forest cover in the Draft Development Plan-2031 for Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex has come under severe criticism from environmentalists and civil society groups which have demanded that the plan be brought in compliance with the forest provisions as per the national and State policies.

“The forest cover in Haryana is just 3.64 per cent which is among the lowest in the country and much lower than the national average of 22-23 per cent. The Regional Plan 2021, prepared by the National Capital Region Planning Board, and subsequent court judgments have stated that it is imperative to bring in more areas under forest so as to maintain the ecological balance and proposed that the total forest cover be 10 per cent. But the ocular estimation shows that the DDP-2031 for Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex has less than 4 per cent forest cover,” said environmentalist Chetan Agarwal.

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