Sept 20th

September 20 - Giving major relief to sawmills located in
Haryana, the state Forests Department has decided to make fresh
assessment of timber available and required in the State.
The Haryana Minister of State for Forests, Mrs. Kiran Choudhry
informed that the license to wood based units would be granted on the basis of assessment made by the Department. She said that as per the judgement of the Supreme Court, 1424 wood based industries established after October 30, 2002 had been closed in the State out of which 1100 were saw mills. She further stated that most of these saw mills were located in the remote rural areas of the State and a number of these were being carried out as family businesses.
Mrs. Choudhry said that many of such mills did not possess any
document to give the evidence of the date of their establishment. On
the request of the State Government, the Central Empowered Committee
formed by Supreme Court took a lenient view with regard to the grant
of license. It was also granted that for units located in rural areas, the State Committee could grant license to such units if it was convinced about the genuineness of the case. This step would go a long way in giving major relief to saw mills located in rural areas of Haryana, added the minister.

Sept 21st

Chandigarh, Sept 21 – The Haryana State Pollution Control Board has
invited suggestions, views, comments and objections from the concerned public for the proposed Kundli-Manesar Express Way to be constructed in the districts of Sonepat, Jhajjar, Gurgoan, Mewat and Faridabad within 30 days. While stating this here today, a spokesman of the Board said that environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests was needed for the construction of this Express- Way. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board would also conduct public hearings on October 23 and 24 so as to obtain views, suggestions and objections of the nearby public on the proposed project. He said that the public hearing for the development of Kundli-Manesar Palwal Express-Way at district Sonepat, Jhajjar, and Gurgaon would be conducted near the concerned Deputy Commissioners' offices on October 23 and for the development of Kundli-Manesar Palwal Express-Way at district Mewat and Faridabad nearby Deputy Commissioners' offices on October 24.
He said that the copies of executive summary of the project and EIA
study report was available in the offices of Deputy Commissioners of
district Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, Mewat and Jhajjar,environmental
Engineers of Haryana State Pollution Control Board of the districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh. The same had also been made available in the office of Zila Parishad of districts Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, Mewat and Jhajjar and Municipal Committee of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, Mewat and Jhajjar which could be persued during office hours on any working day. The suggestions or objections could be filed to the Chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Panchkula within 30 days. The public hearings could also be attended by any person including the bonafide residents.

Sept 30th

Chandigarh, September 30 - Haryana State Pollution Control
Board has excluded from the purview of the Environment Impact
Assessment notification the building projects of upto 20,000 sq.
meters of built up area, according to a notification issued by Union
Ministry of Environment and Forests.
While stating this today, the Chairman of the Haryana State
Pollution Control Board, Mr. Sameer Mathur said that more relief has
been given to the electroplating industries, which are not required to
obtain environmental clearance under the new notification No. SO 1533
dated September 14., 2006. Similarly, foundry units of upto five
tonnes per hour capacity would also not required to obtain
environmental clearance.
He said that there would be no requirement of public hearing for
building and construction projects and for the industrial projects
located within approved industrial estates or parks.
He said that there were 39 categories of projects divided in eight
major heads, which have been included in the notification dated
September 14, 2006 as per the schedule of the notification and
required environmental clearance either from the Central Government or
at State level from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority
and State Level Authority (SEIAA). He said that SEIAA and State Level
Expert Appraisal Committee were being constituted for this purpose.
He said that the full text of the prior environment clearance
notification No. SO 1533 dated September 14, 2006 has been made
available on the website of the Union Ministry of Environment and
Forests that is www.enfor.nic.in and on the website of the Haryana
State Pollution Control Board that is www.hspcb.gov.in. This
notification has superceded the earlier environment assessment
notification No. SO 60 (E) dated January 27, 1994, which had so for
governed the subject of prior environment clearance.
The new notification has details or orders and directions regarding
legal requirement and procedures for obtaining prior environmental
clearance for projects and activities, both new and expanding or
modernizing as listed in the schedule of notification.