‘Enable local civic body to give green nod to projects’

The state government has slammed the functioning of the environment committees set up by the Centre and made a plea to the Union environment ministry to waive construction projects from getting mandatory clearance from these committees.

The state government has slammed the functioning of the environment committees set up by the Centre and made a plea to the Union environment ministry to waive construction projects from getting mandatory clearance from these committees.

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HT had reported on December 5 that MCHI had made a representation to Union environment minister Jayanti Natrajan against the state expert appraisal committee (SEAC) and state environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA) for causing delays to projects.

In a letter sent this month to secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Dr T Chatterjee, chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad has lambasted the functioning of the SEAC terming it as a body with ‘no responsibility and only authority’. The SEAC is a recommendatory body of experts, set up under the ministry, for scrutinising construction projects.

The letter points out that the SEAC often ‘steps into the shoes of urban local bodies’, assumes a larger role and seeks information beyond environmental concerns.

“It is seen that the committees questioned existing government policies and held back recommendations. This has brought development work to a grinding halt causing enormous losses,” states the letter, adding that since all residential projects are given clearances by the civic body, environmental requirements can be made a part of the building plan and approved by the local civic body itself.