Green clearance authorities for Delhi yet to be reconstituted for a year

In an affidavit filed with the NGT on July 31, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) said the Union environment ministry will provide clearances

New Delhi

DPCC was providing financial and logistical support to the two bodies before their terms ended. (Representative photo)

State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), two bodies that provide environmental clearances in Delhi, are yet to be reconstituted almost a year since their tenure ended, thereby leading to a delay in clearances, a builder informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

In an affidavit filed with the NGT on July 31, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) admitted that the state cannot currently issue environmental clearances as the two authorities remain defunct. Meanwhile, the Union environment ministry will provide clearances, it said.

The matter came to the fore on a plea filed by builder TARC Projects Ltd in May, alleging that the tenure of the two bodies ended last September, while an application for clearances—filed in February 2024—was pending. The builder was seeking permission for a group housing project in Kirti Nagar.

In its reply, the DPCC said, “The tenure (of the two bodies) came to an end on September 5, 2024. No further notification has been issued yet, till date by the Government of India. That after September 5, the matters relating to consideration of applications for EC, which ordinarily would fall within the jurisdiction of these authorities in Delhi, are being dealt by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).”

Formed in 2021 through a notification by the Union environment ministry, SEIAA and SEAC were tasked with reviewing all construction projects that require environmental clearance under the EIA notification of 2006. These include large apartment complexes, hotels, commercial developments and infrastructure works that exceed prescribed built-up area. Construction projects typically over 20,000 square metres and townships or area development projects over 150,000 sqm fall under this ambit.

Former members from the dissolved bodies said that while the MoEFCC and the Delhi government can both initiate the process for reconstitution, there has been no progress since their term ended.

“Often, there is a lot of back and forth before EC is granted. With the Centre overseeing the process, the process may take longer,” said a former member, on condition of anonymity.

The SEAC, which had three members, was headed by former PWD chief Sarvagya Kumar Srivastava, and included Delhi’s former environment special secretary KS Jayachandran and AAP leader Reena Gupta. The SEIAA had 11 members and was chaired by former DDA commissioner Vijay Garg.