Salient Features of the 2006 EIA Notification
The EIA Notification of 2006 replaced the earlier 1994 notification. It was issued to improve transparency, decentralize clearances, and categorize projects based on their scale and impact.
Key Provisions:
- Decentralization of Environmental Clearance (EC):
- Projects were classified into:
- Category A:
- High impact, large-scale projects.
- Cleared at the national level by the Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) and Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC).
- Example: big dams, thermal power plants, mining above certain capacity.
- Category B:
- Medium impact, smaller scale.
- Cleared at the state level by the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC).
- Category A:
- Projects were classified into:
- Screening of Category B Projects:
- B1 Projects: Require full EIA and follow the entire clearance process.
- B2 Projects: Do not require full EIA, only basic environmental appraisal.
- EIA Process Comprises 4 Stages:
- Screening: Identifies if full EIA is needed (for Category B only).
- Scoping: Defines Terms of Reference (ToR) for the EIA study.
- Public Hearing: Seeks comments from the affected communities.
- Appraisal: Final evaluation by the competent authority.
- Significance of 2006 Notification:
- Improved efficiency and transparency.
- Decentralized decision-making.
- Ensured public participation via mandatory hearings.