New Delhi | Aug 08, 2016: The Centre has given final approval to 266 projects, including more than 150 related to road and hydro electric power, under Forest Conservation Act in last three years, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

"During the last three years and the current year, the central government accorded 174 in-principle approvals and 266 final approvals under the Forest Conservation Act 1980," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply.

As many as 78 projects related to roads were given in-principle approval while five were related to mining, 20 to hydro electric, six to irrigation, one to defence, 12 related to transmission lines and 52 in others category.

Those given final approvals including 125 to roads, eight to mining, 32 to hydro electric, five to irrigation, 20 to transmission lines, two to railways and 74 in the others category.

The Centre has in the same year period granted 36 environmental clearance to various projects in Himachal Pradesh, he said.

The government has taken several measures to ensure expeditious processing of proposals seeking forest and environmental clearances, Dave said.

Notable among them are launching of a web portal for online submission and monitoring the status of the proposals for forest and environmental clearances...

...Stipulation of time lines for processing of proposals for forest and environmental clearances at each stage in the Centre and state governments, regular monitoring of the status of such proposals pending at various levels, increasing the number of regional offices from six to 10 among others, he said.

(Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/)