The Union government has established a standing body to expedite environmental clearances for projects. The Standing Authority on Environment Impact Assessment (SAEIA) will appraise projects when state-level impact assessment authorities are non-functional.
The body will also handle tasks entrusted by the Centre and discharge other responsibilities. Currently, state-level authorities are responsible for clearances for certain projects, but delays in reconstituting these bodies often lead to delays in environmental clearances.
The standing body will have a similar structure to state-level authorities and will consist of ex-officio members nominated by the central government.
The government aims to address delays in appraisal and approval of projects, which can impact project timelines and investor confidence.
However, legal experts have raised concerns about the independence of the proposed standing committee, citing the potential for ex-officio members to compromise the expert-driven nature of the appraisal stage.
Experts have suggested alternative solutions, such as providing a default automatic extension of tenure for state-level committees to address delays in environmental clearances.
