(a) the number of irrigation project proposals received from various States including Andhra
Pradesh awaiting environmental clearance from the Union Government;
(b) the current status of these projects, State-wise; and
(c) the time by which these proposals are likely to be cleared by the Union Government?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRI NAMO NARAIN MEENA).
(a) to (c) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (c) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No.536 due
for reply on 30/04/2008 regarding ‘Environmental Clearance to Irrigation Projects’.
(a) & (b) During the last two years i.e. 2006 and 2007, 18 irrigation projects have been
received in the Ministry for seeking environmental clearance under the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) Notification of January, 1994 and of September, 2006. Out of these, 16 have
been granted environmental clearance. As on date, only two projects namely Jihe Kathpur Lift
Irrigation Scheme of Maharashtra and Dwarakeswar Irrigation Project of West Bengal are awaiting
environmental clearance due to non-submission of information by the project authorities.No
irrigation project of Andhra Pradesh is pending for environmental clearance.
(c) Decisions for clearance of proposals are taken based on the recommendations of the Expert
Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects, which holds regular
monthly meetings to examine the cases. The EIA Notification, 2006 provides for a time limit of
105 days for taking decision after receipt of complete information from the project proponent.