Non-Publication of Details of Security Projects | 27 Sep 2024

Source: HT

Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change stated that details of projects granted environmental clearance related to national security will not be available on its PARIVESH portal.

The project processing will occur via PARIVESH 2.0 but defence-related projects will be masked and inaccessible to the public on the portal.
The Forest Conservation Act, 1980, amended in 2023, exempted specific projects from seeking forest clearance.
- Strategic linear projects (Roads, Railways etc) of national importance located within 100 km from international borders or the Line of Control/Actual Control.
- Security-related infrastructure projects involving forest land up to 10 hectares.
- Defence-related and public utility infrastructure in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts involving forest land upto 5 hectares.
- Projects requiring up to 0.1 hectares of forest land for connectivity to road/rail amenities.
PARIVESH 2.0 is a web-based application for online submission and monitoring of Environmental, Forest, Wildlife, and Coastal Regulation Zone clearances.