“We are thinking of making applications online as this will reduce the burden on proponents and the officials who appraise the projects," said a senior environment ministry official.Â
For now, only the initial steps — till the terms of reference (TOR) stage — would be done online. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra already have similar online application process. Recently, the Punjab Pollution Control Board rolled out an online consent management and monitoring system to enable applicants to fill the forms online after which the approval is processed electronically.
The move is in line with the ministry's strategy of fast-tracking the clearance process and is significant as all category-A developmental projects are given green clearance by the MoEF and category-B projects are considered by the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority. Read the full report here.
Source: Kirtika Suneja, Finanical Express, New Delhi.
