(a) whether the environmental laws are being violated during the construction of buildings in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government to ensure strict compliance of the environmental laws
in the country including Delhi?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN)
(a) & (b) The prior environmental clearance for projects including construction of
buildings, with built up area of more than 20,000 sq. mts. is undertaken as per the provisions
of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. This notification provides
the detailed procedure for appraisal of projects and the constitution of the State Level Impact
Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) for consideration of
category ‘B’ projects. The Notification is uniformly applicable to all States and the Union
Territories.
(c) The steps taken for ensuring strict compliance of environmental laws in the
country inter-alia include Inspection and monitoring of projects through the Regional Office(s)
of the Ministry, submission of six-monthly compliance report by the project proponent along with
the dedicated website for posting the environmental compliance status report. The cases of
violation are dealt as per the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 as also the
circular issued by the Ministry in November, 2010.