Maharashtra govt mulls panel to hasten green signal for projects

The Maharashtra state government seems to have finally heard complaints voiced by developers and other stakeholders about the inordinate delay in getting environment clearance for their projects.

In a first, the government has requested the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to permit the setting up of a second State level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) in order to cope with the barrage of proposals — an average of 25 every month.

All projects on plots more than 20,000sq m need environmental clearance — a nod from the SEAC and then final clearance from the State-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).

“The current SEAC is working hard. But, getting a project approved requires site visits. The committee also has to ensure compliance from stakeholders. All this takes time,” said state environment minister Suresh Shetty.

The current 12-member SEAC is headed by retired bureaucrat PMA Hakeem, who once headed the prestigious Public Works Department. Being a body of experts set up under central government notification, the government has already sent a list of names for MoEF’s approval.

Environment experts, however, doubt whether MoEF will approve another SEAC. “True, Mumbai/Maharashtra receives the highest number of proposals. But, can rules be changed to accommodate a state / city where infrastructure is in a pathetic state,” asked environment activists.

A developer, however, said if a second SEAC is approved, the wait for project approval would be less. “It takes an average of six to eight months to get a project approved. The delay is because we have the SEAC looking into FSI and parking issues. I hope a second SEAC does not get into all these aspects,” he said.