Green ministry makes clearance process more efficient

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has overhauled the process to grant clearances to projects requiring forest diversions under the Forest Conservation Rules 2022. The government’s latest format of application forms and process flows on the environment ministry’s Parivesh website focuses a lot more on subjective details to avoid queries raised by various departments when applications are being considered. It also aims to complete the entire process faster. The new process seeks to know from the applicant details such as reasons behind developing a project on forest land, details of the project and the concerned forestland, geo-referenced maps, legal matters if pending, whether the project falls in a scheduled or an eco-sensitive area, and cost-benefit analysis, among other inputs. The new forms also seek an undertaking from the applicant stating that any shared data and information and enclosures are true to be best of their knowledge and belief and that if any part of the data and information is found to be false or misleading at any stage, the project will be rejected and any clearance given will be revoked. The undertaking also states that no activity/construction/expansion will be taken up before approval has been granted. The Forest Conservation Rules 2022, which was notified on June 28, seeks to replace forest conservation rules 2003 and make the process of granting forest clearance efficient. See also: Odisha to get cyclone-resistant saline embankmentAwanish K Awasthi appointed as advisor to CM Yogi