Power min opposes MoEF move on prior forestry clearance

The Ministry of Power has opposed the move by the Ministry of Environment and Forests’ (MoEF) to mandate power project developers to secure forestry clearance (FC),if their project areas included forest land,before executing their proposals. The power ministry has warned that the move could result in major setbacks to the developers,especially those setting up hydel power plants.

This was conveyed by power secretary P Umashankar to his counterpart in the MoEF,Tishyarakshit Chatterjee in a letter on June 8,where he pointed out that it took anywhere between one to two years to secure a clearance from the state forest department and the MoEF for diversion of forest land for power projects. Besides,for any project there are more issues pertaining to environment to be considered by the Expert Appraisal Committee rather than diversion of forest land and many a times the EAC seeks clarification from a project proponent to appraise the plant from the environment angle.

“Therefore it would be appropriate that the flexibility as available in the earlier procedure to project developers applying simultaneously for environmental clearance (EC) and stage-I clearance should have continued,otherwise the time needed for obtaining these clearances will further increase,” Umashankar told Chatterjee.

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The MoEF’s in an order on March 31 had revised the procedure to be followed for grant (EC) involving forest land.

As per the revised methodology,the proponents of projects has to obtain FC prior to seeking EC wherever forest diversion is involved.

Till now as per EC notification 2006,the process was being held independently,which was useful in taking up projects even if there was some forest land which may be needed at some point of time in future and the FC was being processed accordingly.

Umashankar said the hydro electric projects could be hit badly as they comprise of components which involve detailed site specific investigations.