The review of these coal blocks came after the group of ministers asked the minister to take a re-look at eight projects he had rejected under the "go-no go" policy, which now, for all practical purposes, has been undone.
The GoM had decided that the "go-no go" policy would not impact projects which had preliminary clearance (stage I) before the policy was mooted. The minister was asked to review specific cases he had rejected and to let the GoM take the final decision on cases he continued to object to. Only the cases he rejected in proximity to or inside national parks and sanctuaries would get cancelled, the GoM had decided.
Once it was decided to review the rejected cases, Ramesh asked the Forest Advisory Committee to re-evaluate the projects that had found mention on a list forwarded by PMO. According to sources, the FAC - a mandatory authority that makes recommendations on forest clearances - affirmed their opposition to the projects. Read the full report here.
Source: Nitin Sethi, TNN, New Delhi.
