The Delhi Government’s proposal for reconstituting the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) was notified on Wednesday. The constitution of the SEIAA and of the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) has been done for Delhi for a three-year term.
With the constitution of the SEIAA, category ‘B’ projects requiring Environmental Clearance (EC) will not have to wait for the Central Government’s approval as it will now be given in a fast tracked manner by the city Government. Senior Delhi Government officer Sarvagya Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as the Chairman of the SEIAA. Reena Gupta as Member and Special Secretary (Environment) will be Member Secretary.
The SEIAA is bound to take its decision on the recommendations of the SEAC. The Central Government also notified the constitution of the SEAC comprising a Chairman, 11 Members and a Member Secretary.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that with the committee in place, it will be easier to handle applications and the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) will get more robust and transparent in the State. “Environment protection is a prime responsibility of the Kejriwal Government and it won’t compromise on the standards,” Rai said.
“As much as fast tracking will be a sought after solution, we will also make the system more robust and transparent. Environment protection is one of the prime responsibilities of the Delhi Government and we will not compromise on it,” he added.
The Delhi Government had sent its proposal for the reconstitution of the SEIAA/SEAC, along with names of experts, to the Central Government in 2020 and, after multiple correspondences and meetings, the notification was finally issued.
It is to be noted that as per the Environment Protection Rules, all category ‘A’ projects (mega projects) are approved by an Expert Appraisal Committee of the MoEFCC while all category ‘B’ projects (large projects) are approved by the SEIAA. Reena Gupta, Member, SEIAA said, “We are very happy that Delhi SEIAA has been reconstituted by the Central Government. Now approval and monitoring decisions can be taken at the State level. We look forward to making the EIA process more robust and transparent as envisaged under the law.”