Green court's order cripples BMC cell that cleared housing projects

Work at BMC's environment cell that had been set up for speedier processing of project proposals has come to a standstill. Since its formation in July last year, it could give green signal to only four projects despite receiving 32 files.

The functioning of the cell was crippled after the National Green Tribunal in December 2017 seized all powers of the cell and prevented it from giving environmental clearances to projects being developed on plots with an area larger than 5,000 sq feet.

Most of the housing projects require an area of more than 5,000 sq feet. "Most of the projects that need environment clearances above 5000 sq feet cannot be given now," said an official from the Building Proposal (BP) department of BMC.

According to official from the BP department of BMC, the Cell had received a total 32 proposals for environment clearances since it was set up in July last year. However, only four of them could be given clearance. "A notification issued by the NGT on December 8, stated that local body cannot give environment clearance until next order," said an official from the BP department of BMC. He added that the NGT took the decision following violation case was reported in Pune while giving environment clearance.

"The cell was formed to only look at environment clearance and it consisted of three BMC officers that were experts in transport planning and management waste management and water conservation and management and while three members were former BMC officers," said the official. The purpose of the cell was quick approval of projects.

"The cell was formed under the central government's objective of 'ease of doing business'. The focus of the cell was to shortened time and speed at which project proposals were cleared. And, also onus was to be shifted to the corporation level," added the official.

Before the Cell was setup, a no-objection certificates (NOCs) or clearances was required under environment impact notification for projects spread over 20,000 square metres. But, this used to take around nine months to one year. However, with the new dedicated cell, the BMC claimed that it had reduced time duration to around 100 days for all such clearances.

Before the cell came into existence, a State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), constituted by the Centre under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, was responsible to take decisions on whether a project will get an EC. However, as part of ease of doing business a notification issued by the state government in April 2017 and the cell was formed in July Thereafter, the BMC cell became responsible for all environment clearance in Mumbai.