TNPCB clearance not required for residential building projects with less that 1.5 lakh sqm built up area

TNPCB empowered to monitor conditions imposed in environmental clearance issued by SEIAA C SHIVAKUMAR @ CHENNAI:

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) will not monitor residential building projects whose built up area is less than 1.5 lakh square metres, according to sources in state environment and forests department.

This comes after TNPCB is to be empowered to monitor conditions imposed in environmental clearance issued by State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).

Sources said that as per norms residential up to 1.5 lakh square metre of built up area has to get environmental clearance from local authorities and Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change notification states that ‘No consent to Establish and Operate under the Water Act, 1974’ and the Air Act, 1981’ will be required from State Pollution Control Board.

Sources said that TNPCB has sought remarks from the state housing and urban development regard.

Meanwhile, TNPCB will not monitor environmental clearances issued for mining or minor minerals which include beach and river sand mining and coastal regulation zone monitoring.

This comes after more than thousands of files that have been cleared by SEIAA and District Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) is pending with regional office of Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change here.

It is learnt that MOEF has written to the state environment department to identify suitable agency to monitor stipulated conditions while issuing environmental clearance.

Interestingly, as per Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, 2006, there is no provision for State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to monitor EIA conditions. Its primary duty is to conduct public hearing and forward the proceedings to regulatory authority within 45 days of a request from the project proponent.

Sources indicated that TNPCB has accepted to monitor projects falling under Schedule-I of EIA notification 2006 as amended except mining activity of minor minerals and sand mining and CRZ clearances issued.

It is learnt that a permanent member from TNPCB in the rank of chief environment engineer or additional chief environmental engineer will be posted in SEIAA to represent the views of TNPCB while granting environmental clearance to projects as suggested by Central Pollution Control Board in February 2, 2017.