9.6.14

Green approvals go online


The government kicked off online environment clearances for industrial and infrastructure projects which have for long been hobbled by the slow pace of green approvals.
As part of the transition to an e-window mechanism, for the next three weeks, project developers will be required to submit a hard copy of the application besides filing it online. From July 1, the system will be fully online, environment and forests minister Prakash Javadekar said. There will be a time limit for the entire approval process, with stage-wise timelines. “Efforts will be made to bring down the timelines for each stage,” the minister said.
The e-clearance mechanism is the first in a series of online approvals that the government proposes to put in place. In the next stage, forest clearances will be made online and work has begun to give mining-related approvals as well through the same route.
While the original plan was to have a common platform for state as well as Central clearances, in the initial phase, the online mechanism will deal with approvals given by the Union environment ministry and its related offices. The government has not launched the system of “deemed approval” either, which will mean that a clearance will be granted if no objection is raised within the stipulated timeframe. This is expected to be in place in the coming months.
The Centre is looking to work with the states to ensure that the process at their end is completed on time so that the environment ministry can grant clearance within a maximum of 60 days, an official said.
There will also be a penalty provision if a delay at any stage remains unexplained.
Though this provision is yet to be codified, the ministry appears firm on introducing this clause as early as possible.
The move of online environment clearances will not just remove physical interface but also enable the government to track an application more effectively and identify “tables“ on which proposals are held up.
For the past few years, the environment ministry has come to be seen as the biggest stumbling block in project approvals and has been criticized for delays in power, port, road and other projects.
The new system, which monitors stage-wise approval and compliance mechanism, will ensure security of information while simultaneously maintaining transparency in dealings between the ministry and the applicant.

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