PMO steps in to end NHAI-MoEF face-off over forest clearance

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Mihir Mishra, Anubhuti Vishnoi: New Delhi, Jan 16 2013, 02:30 IST

Stepping in to resolve the row between the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) over forest clearance to linear projects, the Prime Minister’s Office Tuesday worked out a formula to end the embarrassing stand-off between two arms of the central government.

A meeting called by the PMO decided the MoEF will submit a clarification delinking environmental clearance from forest clearance for linear projects following which NHAI will withdraw its court case against the ministry, highly placed sources said.

Projects like roads, railway tracks and power transmission lines, which stretch over long distances, are linear projects.

Last week, NHAI dragged the MoEF to the Supreme Court seeking a modification of the ministry’s criteria linking environment and forest clearance. NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways claim that at least 22 projects have been stalled due to delays by the MoEF in granting forest clearance. The MoEF claims the delay is more due to incomplete documentation by NHAI.

NHAI has demanded that forest clearance be waived for projects involving widening of national highways up to the standard right of way (i.e. 60 m) and that forest clearance not be made a pre-requisite for linear projects.

Accordingly, the MoEF will now submit a clarification to the apex court enabling the same. The ministry, it is learnt, is also expected to place before the court its January 7, 2013 guidelines that “facilitate phased preparation and processing” of linear projects provided the user agency submits a proposal for an alternative alignment

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Reader's Comments (3)| Post a Comment

Leave forests alone

Sehar | 16-Jan-2013Reply | Forward

We should nurture our forests and leave them alone...

NHAI-MOeF stand-off

venkataramanaiah ramu | 16-Jan-2013Reply | Forward

At least now we are seeing the PMO entering the fray in the stand- off issue and hope that in future such situations do not arise and all projects called linear ones go through unhindered. Also, it would be time for all stalled projects to be reviewed and taken up on the basis of the new understanding reached now.

The bottom line

Lokesh | 16-Jan-2013Reply | Forward

To simplify "The road transport ministry has been at loggerheads with the MoEF over alleged delays in granting of environment and forest clearance and squarely blames it for slow progress in projects worth over Rs 2,000 crore." - These two ministries are not able to decide how much the former shall share with the later in underhand dealings. Or else there should be no reason, because they have experts to provide other technical and financial options. They are just wasting public money by keeping the projects and progress jammed. Why are miniters keeping quite for the inefficiency and jamming the process by these istitutions? The reason is simple, its minister driven and the oppositions are waiting for their fairshare in the dealings.