Environment Ministry has issued fresh guidelines easing clearance norms for industry and mining of minor minerals.
The Ministry, which came under attack from industry over clearance hurdles, has agreed to do exempt mandatory environmental impact assessments and public hearings for some projects relating to thermal power plants with less than 5MW capacity, mining of minor minerals and river sand mining.
The ministry took the decision after examining a report submitted by the expert committee chaired by Director of the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
Earlier this year, the Ministry had done away with the mandatory clearance requirement for brick earth and ordinary earth mining in leases of less than 5 hectares.
According to the guidelines, minor minerals mining projects, with a lease area of less than 25 hectares, have been categorised as B2. Impact assessment and public consultation are not mandatory for these projects too.
"Brick earth or ordinary earth mining projects with mining lease area less than 5 ha but less than 25 ha and all other minor mineral mining projects with mining lease area less that 25 ha, except for river sand mining projects will be appraised as Category 'B2' projects," according to the guidelines.
The ministry said the EIA Notification, 2006 prescribes that Category 'B' projects will be further categorised as category 'B1' and 'B2' for which the Ministry will issue appropriate guidelines from time to time.
