Indian Express 09.03.2010
50 cr: state defines limit for coastal zone schemes it wants to clear
Express News Service Tags : coastal zone schemes Posted: Tuesday , Mar 09, 2010 at 0249 hrs
Mumbai: Promoters of infrastructure projects, government as well as private, up to Rs 50 crore may soon be saved the trouble of seeking Central environmental clearance, if a move by the state government in this direction is successful.Now it is mandatory for all projects, with a capital investment of over Rs 5 crore, to get central sanction. The state-level Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) clears projects less than Rs 5 crore.
Next week, the state government is expected to move the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) to raise the monetary cap for environmental sanction from the ministry.
“We will propose a district-level authority to clear proposals up to Rs 50 crore,” said TC Benjamin, principal secretary of the state urban development department.
He added that decentralisation of environmental clearance at local urban body levels has been a longstanding demand of elected representatives. Rather than giving the authority to municipal corporations, we thought it would be better to form a body like the district coastal zone management authority (DCZMA) at the level of the collector,” he said adding that states such as Tamil Nadu follow a similar practice.
If the Centre approves the plan, it would mean that most projects, including those on CRZ II and CRZ III, can be approved at the district level itself.
Officials state that more than half the projects that come for environmental clearance are under the Rs 50-crore category.
State environment secretary Valsa Nair Singh said taking land cost into account, the cost of most minor projects exceeds Rs 5 crore. This leads to unnecessary delays for most government and private projects. We initially thought of increasing the upper limit to Rs 100 crore but later decided to settle for Rs 50 crore,” said Singh.
