Two Months After SC Ruling, Union Govt Resumes Processing Retrospective Environmental Clearances
Two months after the Supreme Court quashed the Environment Ministry's 2021 office memorandum on retrospective clearances, the Ministry has directed its expert bodies to resume processing post-facto environmental clearance proposals. On September 30, it asked expert appraisal committees, state-level assessment authorities and pollution control boards to conclude pending cases, while accepting no fresh proposals. Projects rejected or returned owing to the court's interim orders will be reconsidered.