Centre Notifies New State Expert Appraisal Committee for Gujarat

Gandhinagar: The Union Government has notified a new six-member State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) for a four-year term, a move expected to speed up long-pending environmental clearances for real estate, chemical and other industrial projects in Gujarat.

The notification, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on August 6, states that the committee has been constituted in consultation with the Government of Gujarat to evaluate projects requiring environmental clearance in the state.

The six-member committee will be headed by former Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) Member Secretary Devang Mahipatlal Thaker as its Chairman. Other members include Hitendra Vitthaldas Mojidra, Dr. Jayesh Ruparelia, Dr. Khyati K. Modi and Prof. (Dr.) Nayan K. Jain, while a Senior Environmental Engineer of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) will serve as the Member Secretary.

The previous SEAC completed its tenure on June 12, following which the environmental appraisal of projects slowed down, according to reports. Although an interim arrangement was made, developers said approvals remained largely delayed in the absence of a regular committee.

The SEAC is a key part of Gujarat’s environmental clearance process, particularly for Category 8(a) projects. These include building and construction projects with a built-up area of more than 20,000 square metres and area development projects covering more than 50 hectares.

As per the Gazette notification, the committee will examine and recommend proposals for environmental clearance for various development projects, except mining projects. Its recommendations will be considered by the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Gujarat, before a final decision is taken.

The notification also requires committee members to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from evaluating projects in which they have been involved as consultants during the previous five years. DeshGujarat