Home Minister Rajnath Singh
Concerned over delay in strategic border projects, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has suggested exemption of environment clearance given to such projects falling within 100 km from International Border or IB, Line of Actual Control or LAC and Line of Control or LOC.
He said there is a need to deal with the issue of delay in according environment, forest and wildlife clearances in a comprehensive manner.
"All strategic border projects falling within 100 km from IB, LAC and LoC may be fully exempted from obtaining environment/ forest/ wildlife clearances from the Ministry of
Environment and Forest and the State/ Union Territory governments," Mr Singh wrote to Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.
The strategic border projects include border roads, fencing, border out posts, floodlighting, surveillance infrastructure, power infrastructure besides others.
The Home Minister said all executing agencies like CPWD and public sector undertakings engaged in border infrastructure work of the ministries of Home Affairs and
Defence may be treated on par with Border Roads Organisation in respect of environment, forest and wildlife clearances.
The suggestions were part of the recommendations of an inter-ministerial group set up by the Home Ministry on how to get quick and time bound environment, forest and wildlife clearances as well as suggest any other dispensation or institutional mechanism required for the same.