MoEFCC launches steps to ensure faster environmental clearance approvals for smooth business operations

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has introduced several measures to facilitate smoother business operations while accelerating environmental clearance approvals. The average time to secure an Environmental Clearance has drastically reduced from 120 days to 57 days, according to Rajat Agarwal, Joint Secretary at MoEFCC. This improvement is part of the Ministry's efforts to enhance environmental regulations and approvals nationwide. MoEFCC holds quarterly review meetings with State-level Expert Appraisal Committees to monitor progress and evaluate approval timelines. The Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India has collaborated with MoEFCC and the Central Pollution Control Board to organise a high-level workshop. CREDAI President Shekhar Patel expressed gratitude for the strides made by MoEFCC and CPCB, but emphasised the need for further reduction of the EC processing time to 45 days. The organisation believes a timely and efficient approval process will enhance ease of doing business and aid in real estate project execution. MoEFCC has clarified provisions related to phase-wise Consent to Establish and called for their uniform implementation across states. Streamlined approval processes, clearer Terms of Reference, and technology-driven systems like PARIVESH aim to simplify the environmental clearance framework for the real estate industry.