The environment ministry has changed forest clearance norms for mining projects to make them simpler and discourage firms from acquiring excess land.

Marking a major shift in its stand on infrastructure projects in forest areas, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has shot off a number of guidelines to all state governments relaxing green no

New Delhi: In a bid to fast-track the process of environmental and forest clearances (EC and FC) for thermal power projects, power companies will have to furnish details about the quality of coal, such as its calorific value, sulphur content and ash content, in the initial environment management plan (EMP).

“In case of thermal power projects, which are dependent on domestic coal supply from the basket of mines of Coal India with valid EC/FC, proposals for environmental clearance would be considered, if the information on the coal quality parameters, that is, calorific value, sulphur content and ash content in respect of the mines in the basket, is provided in the EIA/EMP report,” the environment ministry said in a circular today.

Days after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) dragged the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to the apex court alleging delays in granting of forest clearance, the ministry has granted forest clearance to the 555-km Kishangarh-Udaipur-Ahmedabad National Highway widening project that had first sparked the conflict.

While the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has recommended the project, it is not amused with NHAI's rather public finger pointing at MoEF. Minutes of the FAC meeting held on January 21-22 observe how MoEF has been "blamed unpleasantly" for delays.

Within days of China announcing three new hydroelectric projects on the Brahmaputra river and catching India by surprise, the Centre has set the ball rolling to build the strategic Tawang hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh.

The 800-MW power project proposed to be built on the Tawang Chu river has got forest clearance, with the Environment Ministry waiving the cumulative impact assessment for stage-I clearance that it was earlier insisting.

Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan declared that there was no bottleneck in green clearances, and made public the status of various projects, as she sought to counter barbs from companies and colleagues in the government about alleged delays in clearances.

“My object in giving all the details is to show that there is no delay in terms of processing. There is no bottleneck in this ministry and all projects that can be cleared have been cleared and we are not a bottleneck by any stretch of imagination,” Natarajan said.

Activists lament dilution of tribal rights as Environment Ministry amends 2009 circular

Gram sabhas in forest areas have been stripped of their power to approve or reject proposals for the diversion of their forest lands for building roads, transmission lines, canals or other linear projects. In a move that activists have slammed as being a dilution of the rights of tribal people and other forest dwellers, the Environment Ministry on Tuesday amended its critical August 2009 circular dealing with the implementation of the Forest Rights Act.

Lucknow: The ambitious lion safari project of the Akhilesh government is likely to get delayed for some technical reasons.

Nod For Road, Rail Projects To Be Fast-Tracked

New Delhi: With environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan insisting that rights of tribals cannot be overlooked while clearing projects in forest areas, government has now decided against changing the norms for forest clearances, except in the case of rail tracks, roads and power lines – called linear projects. The decision came following a meeting called by PM Manmohan Singh with Natarajan and tribal affairs minister V Kishore Chandra Deo after the two had voiced opposition to a PMO report asking for severe dilution to the rules requiring consent from gram sabhas (village councils) for projects in forests where tribals dwell traditionally.