No New Renewable Energy Projects Within One Kilometre Of Borders
Areas within 50 km of the Line of Control, the Line of Actual Control or the International Border have been designated as sensitive, with a separate no-objection certificate (NOC) required for proposals located within 20 km of the International Border to be issued by the Ministry of Defence. Project activity will be strictly barred in the one kilometre exclusion zone and proposals between one km and 50 km will face detailed scrutiny.
The guidelines prohibit the engagement of labour from countries that share a land border with India without central government permission and require separate filings for proposals involving foreign investment to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the foreign direct investment policy. State governments must provide in-principle land allotment approvals before proposals are advanced.
Applications for projects in the defined belt are to be submitted to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, which will forward proposals to the Ministry of Home Affairs for security clearance and to the defence ministry for a no-objection certificate. Security clearance and NOC decisions for projects located between one km and 50 km, and for NOC requests within one km to 20 km, will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The guidelines also set limits on the height of civil infrastructure required for maintenance and operation, restricting heights to three metres within one to eight km, five metres within eight to 20 km and 15 metres in the 20 to 50 km band. Authorities said the rules aim to balance security considerations with ease of doing business in consultation with stakeholders.