The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (‘MOEF’) had notified the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 (‘EIA Notification’) imposing certain restrictions on proposed projects or on the expansion / modernization of existing projects based on their potential environmental impacts. Projects seeking environmental clearance are appraised by the relevant authorities pursuant to a screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal process by relevant authorities, which then make categorical recommendations to the applicable regulatory authority for grant or rejection of the application for environmental clearance.

By way of an office memorandum dated August 9, 2018 (‘Office Memo’), the MoEF has now prescribed certain standard conditions for consideration by the Expert Appraisal Committee (’EAC’) in relation to 25 specified industrial sectors including, inter alia, integrated iron and steel plants, sponge iron plants, integrated cement plants, coal mines (both open cast and underground), pharmaceutical and chemical industries, off-shore and on-shore oil and gas exploration, development and production and industrial estates, at the time of appraisal of proposals seeking environment clearance. The EAC, after due diligence, can modify, delete and add conditions based on the project specific requirements. The Office Memo has been issued by the MOEF to bring uniformity across various projects and sectors and as a general guidance to the EAC as well as project proponents.