Railways seek relaxation from Forest Clearances for strategic projects of national importance

Railways seek relaxation from Forest Clearances for strategic projects of national importance

Ministry of Railways approach Prime Minister’s Office seeking exemption from Green Norms to Railway projects of strategic and national importance

New Delhi: With around 50 key rail projects stuck for want of green clearances, Ministry of Railways has written to the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) seeking exemption from Forest Clearance (FC) for strategic and projects of national importance, rail track doubling and gauge conversion projects.

It has also suggested scrapping of the two stage Forest Clearance procedure and delegation of more powers to the states to decide on project clearance.

The Ministry of Railways has made the submission in response to a letter from the PMO asking changes required in the four clearances – environment, forest, wildlife and coastal – accorded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in order to streamline the procedures. Rail line projects are already exempted from Environment and Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ) clearances.

According to the ministry, a number of railway projects for defence and better integration of unconnected areas in the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir are going on and many of the projects are held up in different stretches and stages, for want of clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

“Looking at the larger interest of the nation, it is proposed that for these projects, no Forest/wildlife clearances should be needed. Only money for compensatory forestations should be demanded by the Forest Department for trees to be cut on non-railway land,” said the reply to the PMO.

Similar demands have been made for the rail line doubling projects and gauge conversion.

Source : RailNews.