In a clarification to the Supreme Court, the union ministry of environment and forests informed that road developers need not secure clearance to begin work on that part of a highway project falling in non-forest areas.
But one of the conditions imposed by the ministry is that if a highway was to pass through a patch of forest, the project proponent could construct the road up to the forest on either side and await forest clearance only after giving an undertaking to complete the road through an alternative route in case the clearance was declined.
It may be noted that in a guideline issued two years ago, the ministry mandated the developer to seek approval for commencing work on the entire project even if only a small portion of it passes through forests.
But the clarification issued by the ministry to the court indicates that it diluted its stand for forest clearance as stipulated in its March 2011 guidelines. But it added several caveats. One of them said this concession would apply only if the project did not require environment clearance or had got it.
The ministry’s affidavit has met with the approval of NHAI, which has sought to withdraw from the Supreme Court its plea questioning the linking of forest and environment clearance for road projects.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.