The Hindu : National : Forest clearance process review completed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 26, 2004

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National

Forest clearance process review completed

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 25 . The Ministry of Environment and Forests has completed the re-engineering of the Forest Clearance Process, but its implementation has been held up because of the Supreme Court's intervention.

Similarly, the re-engineering of the Environment Clearance Process is under way, and the other regulatory functions, such as the Coastal Regulation Zone notification and the Genetic Engineering Approval regulations, are being reviewed.

Addressing the first meeting of the Consultative Committee held here today, the Union Environment and Forests Minister, A. Raja, said the long-standing conflict between animal welfare activists and scientists over using animals in scientific research had been resolved with the issue of principles and specific operational norms.

The ministry was developing a plan to increase the country's forest and tree cover from 23 per cent of the land area to 33 per cent by 2012. It would try to reach the target by developing partnership between the forest departments, local communities and investors and by rationalising transit and felling rules for farm and agro-forestry on private land.

Mr. Raja said cleaning up all major rivers by 2012 was important.

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