(a) whether the environmental clearance is required for group housing, townships, universities
etc. in urban areas of the country; and
(b) if so, the number of applications received from the State of Maharashtra during the last
three years along with the number of applications sanctioned?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT AN FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN)
(a) Under the provisions of EIA Notification 2006, as amended in December 2009, projects
or activities at 8(a) & 8(b) of the Schedule of the Notification i.e. ‘Building and
Construction and Township and Area Development Projects’ fall under Category B. Therefore,
such projects require prior environmental clearance from the concerned State Environmental
Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
(b) The SEIAA for Maharashtra is operational and dealing with all Category B projects of the
State. Hence, such projects are not considered at the Central level.