In a move that may benefit 25 road projects, the Supreme Court clarified that road developers can begin work on a project once it gets environment clearance, irrespective of whether forest clearance is granted or not.
The court clarified this while hearing a case involving Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and road regulator National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). In the said case, the court allowed the road project developer to widen road instead of waiting for forest clearance.
The clarification has served as a breather for 25 road projects as according to the current practice, work on a project can be started only after obtaining both the environment clearance and forest clearance. This impeded award of several linear projects including road projects.
The clarification from the court could facilitate investments of around Rs 25,000 crore in the next fiscal, reports suggest.
A few years ago, the apex court while passing an order on Lafarge cement plant in Meghalaya had stated that environmental clearance should be given only after forest clearance is given.
NHAI had waged a war against the environment ministry by filling a petition in the apex court demanding to separate forest and environment clearance.
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