Madhya Pradesh Environment Clearance Row: 237 ‘Deemed Permission’ Cases Under Scanner, 3 IAS Officers Face Scrutiny

In Madhya Pradesh, a controversy has arisen regarding 237 cases of deemed environmental clearance granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and the state environment department. The Union Environment Ministry has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court, stating that the rules do not allow for deemed permission in such cases.

According to the affidavit, the SEIAA should have adhered to the rules when making decisions. Three IAS officers - Navneet Kothari (principal secretary), Uma Maheshwari (member secretary of SEIAA), and Shriman Shukla (acting member secretary) - are now under scrutiny. The affidavit suggests that the then acting member secretary made quick decisions with good intentions, but they also made interpretations not clearly mentioned in the rules.

The Supreme Court may take strict action against these three officers for granting deemed permission without the required provisions. The Environment Ministry has advised the department to examine each of the 237 cases before making a decision. The Environment Impact Notification's paragraph 8 does not imply that a lack of timely decision-making would render the actions deemed permission.

The State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) recommends decisions, but SEIAA has the authority to make them, provided they occur unanimously at meetings. However, the committee found that meetings were not held, leading to disagreements between the SEIAA chairman and the then member secretary. The apex court is set to hear the case on October 13, and the Supreme Court's decision will greatly impact the situation.

The committee's report also recommends providing the SEIAA and SEAC with better facilities, including staff, offices, IT infrastructure, and necessary logistics.