Blog
Environment ministry reviews model checklist for border highway projects
Urmi Goswami, ET Bureau Sep 11, 2014, 06.28AM IST
NEW DELHI: As part of its efforts to expedite environmental clearance process for infrastructure in border areas, the environment ministry is reviewing a model green checklist for highways projects in border states.
The 40 items-long terms of reference for building highways in border areas has been prepared by a statutory expert appraisal committee reviewing infrastructure projects.
It calls for developers to provide detailed information ranging from terrain of the proposed route, soil type and data on climate to flood plans in case of rivers in the vicinity or tunneling, and material used.
If accepted, the model terms of reference could signal that government’s intent to speed up clearances will not mean undermining environmental concerns.
A comprehensive checklist of information would speed up the clearance process, as often projects get delayed with the expert appraisal committee asking for additional information. The model checklist will help project developers prepare an environment impact assessment that is comprehensive and provides information and data on issues that are considered by the committee when deciding on clearances.
This will help speed up the clearance process for these key strategic infrastructure projects, and allow the expert panel to make the required interventions to address any possible ecological fallout.
Model terms of references are expected to improve the quality of the reports and facilitate the decision on clearances as well as making it transparent and easy.
Project proponents will be required to provide detailed alignment plan for highways, which should include the details of the terrain, land use pattern, habitation, cropping pattern, forest area, environmentally sensitive places, mangroves, notified industrial areas, sand dunes, sea, river, lake, details of villages, tehsils, districts and states, latitude and longitude for important locations falling on the alignment by employing remote sensing techniques followed by ground truthing and also through secondary data sources.
Besides offering the reasoning for the alignment chosen for the proposed highway, the developer will be required to provide alternatives it had considered and the reasons and the manner of selection of the proposed alignment.
Environment minister Prakash Javadekar had consistently maintained that security and strategic concerns should be paramount.
While the forest clearance norms for roads within the 100 km of the Line of Actual Control with China have been eased, the ministry is clear roads in these areas must confirm to some set environmental standards to avoid catastrophes and adverse environmental outcomes.