Forest:SC grants six week time to Centre on national regulator

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to apprise it the steps taken to appoint a national regulator to oversee the implementation of forest policy.
A forest bench, headed by Justice J S Kehar, posted the matter for hearing on September 15.
The appointment of national regulator has been hanging fire since the Centre missed the March 31 deadline set by the apex court which had expressed its displeasure over it.
Later, the goverment had submitted that due to the change of government at the Centre, the appointment process did not go forward.
Before the general elections, a formal application for extension of time for implementing the apex court order was filed.

The apex court had on January 6 rejected the Centre's stand that there was no need for a national regulator to oversee the implementation of forest policy and set a deadline of March 31 for the appointment.
"We direct the Union of India to appoint Regulator with its offices in as many states as possible," the bench had said while rejecting the plea of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
The bench had made it clear that the clearances under the Forest Act would be granted by MoEF but the regulator will see the implementation of the Forest Policy of 1998.