The Centre has notified that only accredited consultants will be allowed to prepare environment impact assessment reports and environment management plan for the projects seeking green clearances.
The directive has come after the Environment Ministry barred UP-based Mantec Consultants for one year for preparing impact assessment and management plan reports for 10 projects of state-owned Kandla Port Trust without any permission.
The impact assessment (EIA) and management plan (EMP) for any project seeking environment clearance are prepared only after the Environment Ministry issues terms of reference.
"The Environmental consultant organisations which are accredited for a particular sector and the category of project for that sector with the Quality Council of India or National Accreditation Board for Education and Training or any other agency as may be notified by the Ministry of Environment from time to time shall be allowed to prepare EIA and EMP of a project in that sector and category," according to the notification dated March 3.
Only accredited consultants will appear before the concerned Expert Appraisal Committee or the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), it said.
The Ministry will also prepare a panel of national-level reputed educational and research institutions to work as environmental consultant organisations, it added.
