India Inc writes to election commission on pending project approvals

New Delhi: India Inc has asked the Election Commission to issue clarifications on pending project approvals sought by the environment ministry as the industry faces difficulties due to delays in getting the clearances.

“Ever since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has been implemented, we are given to understand that the ministry of environment and forests has kept these permissions for the projects in abeyance pending opinion about the on-going clearance process,” Ficci secretary general Didar Singh said in a letter to chief election commissioner V. S. Sampath.

“This is further delaying the implementation of these projects and affecting their viability as it has taken many months for them to reach at this stage of clearance,” he said.

Environment, forest, wildlife and other clearances for proposed projects have been pending since implementation of the model code of conduct on March 5, when the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced.

The ministry of environment and forests had sought the Election Commission’s permission to allow granting approvals, saying these were routine jobs.

Assocham secretary general D. S. Rawat has also written to the chief election commissioner saying that the project proponents are “facing a lot of difficulties owing to delay in grant of environment and forest clearances by the ministry of environment".

The ministry takes decisions on environment, forest and wildlife clearances based on recommendations made by sectoral expert appraisal committees, the forest advisory committee and the standing committee of National Board of Wildlife, which consider the various proposals.