Ministry to develop module to monitor compliance with green nod regulations

The Union Environment Ministry will develop a module on its official website, Parivesh, to monitor the compliance of conditions imposed on user agencies while granting wildlife clearances.

The regional offices of the ministry have also been directed to monitor if the project proponents are complying with the conditions and submit the report to the ministry.

When a user agency applies for wildlife clearance, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) imposes certain conditions on it so that there would be minimal impact of the project on the wildlife.

In a meeting of the NBWL earlier this year, its members deliberated that the compliances were not monitored. According to the minutes of the meeting, SC-NBWL member secretary Ramesh Kumar Pandey said a pilot monitoring was done for the compliance of conditions for projects exceeding 10 hectares of forest land in the last two years.

In July, the Environment Ministry sought compliance reports from states to see if conditions imposed by it before clearing infrastructure and mining projects in forests have been complied with.

“Of the 343 projects identified, responses were received for 209 projects. Compliance reports have been received for 65 proposals, while it is ongoing for 113 projects. Besides, 31 projects are yet to be started,” said Pandey, adding that qualitative analysis of these compliances was pending.

According to the minutes of the meeting, “After due deliberations, it was decided that a module may be developed in Parivesh for monitoring compliances of conditions imposed while granting wildlife clearances.”

“Regional offices should also be directed to take up monitoring work and submit reports to the ministry. Further analysis and progress shall be submitted by the wildlife division in the next meeting. The division should also ask pending states to provide information,” it added.