No environmental nod needed for heliport or helipad projects: Govt

The Union environment ministry has announced that no prior environmental clearance is required to establish heliports and helipads. This decision was made because these facilities are not listed in the Schedule of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. An office memorandum, dated October 27, revealed that the ministry received inquiries from various stakeholders seeking clarity on the EIA Notification's applicability to heliports and helipads.

The ministry clarified that, as per existing provisions, heliports or helipads are not included in the schedule of the EIA Notification, 2006. The memorandum stated that this decision was issued with the approval of the competent authority.

Experts have pointed out that while helipads and heliports are not explicitly mentioned under the notification, any building and construction project exceeding 20,000 square meters will still require an environmental clearance. According to Debadityo Sinha, lead, climate and ecosystems at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, this rule applies to both helipads and heliports.

The ministry had previously clarified in a parliamentary reply on August 6 that Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers do not need an EIA clearance under the EIA Notification, 2006, with the sole exception being projects where the built-up area exceeds 20,000 square meters. However, AI data centers proposed as part of a "Building and Construction Project" with a built-up area exceeding 20,000 square meters or a "Township and Area Development Project" covering an area of 50 hectares or more, and/or a built-up area of 150,000 square meters or more under Item 8(b) of the schedule to the EIA Notification, 2006, would require prior environmental clearance.