Environment clearance process will be made transparent: Jairam

In an attempt to clean up the environmental clearance stable, environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said the chairman of Expert
Committee, P Abraham, who was also on the board of several power companies, had resigned. The committee is one of the seven that recommends environmental clearance of various development projects. The move came after NGOs raised the issue but even then it took more than a week for Abraham to resign. Ramesh said it was part of the plan to improve the clearance process and make it more transparent. As part of the move, he has made it mandatory for companies to disclose the clearance letters and periodic status of compliance. At the same time, hinting that the clearances would become tougher to secure, Ramesh said, “The ministry has an unnaturally healthy rate of accepting proposals — 98%. I would be much happier with a higher rate of rejection.” While promising to reduce the time taken for both forest and environment clearances, Ramesh said he was studying how to do away with the “business of in-principle clearance”.