Centre Amends EIA 2006 Notification to Extend Validity Of Prior Environmental Clearance Expiring In Financial Year 2020-21

Taking into account the outbreak of Covid-19, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has amended the 2006 Environment Impact Assessment notification extending validity of prior environmental clearances expiring in Financial Year 2020-2021.

The validity of prior environmental clearances granted whose validity is expiring in the Financial Year 2020-2021 shall deemed to be extended till the 31st March, 2021 or six months from the date of expiry of validity. The new provision inserted by the amendment reads as follows:

"9A. Notwithstanding anything contained in this notification, the validity of prior environmental clearances granted under the provisions of this notification in respect of the projects or activities whose validity is expiring in the Financial Year 2020-2021 shall deemed to be extended till the 31st March, 2021 or six months from the date of expiry of validity, whichever is later. Such extension is subject to same terms and conditions of the prior environmental clearance in the respective clearance letters, to ensure uninterrupted operations of such projects or activities which have been stalled due to the outbreak of Corona Virus (COVID-19) and subsequent lockdowns (total or partial) declared for its control".

The Ministry said that, in view of the outbreak of Corona Virus (COVID-19) and subsequent lockdowns (total or partial) declared for its control, implementation of projects or activities in the field has been affected. It said that it has received a number of requests for extension of the validity of prior environmental clearances beyond the maximum period allowed in the said Notification, as the COVID19 pandemic has not yet come to an end.  

 "Validity of Environmental Clearance" is the period from which a prior environmental clearance is granted by the regulatory authority, or may be presumed by the applicant to have been granted to the start of production operations by the project or activity, or completion of all construction operations in case of construction projects to which the application for prior environmental clearance refers. The validity varies depending on the nature of the project.

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