Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, April 27
As the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) today decided to cancel the provisional environmental clearance given to various mega projects, the construction work on these projects will have to be stopped with immediate effect.
Informed sources said the topbrass of the board met here today. In the light of the direction given by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the board's top brass decided to direct the mega projects to suspend the construction work till the issuance of regular environmental clearance by the Union Government.
The Punjab Government had recently cleared mega projects worth Rs 57,000 crore and nearly 70 per cent of these were major housing projects to be developed by colonisers. Mega projects also included multiplexes and malls at certain places.
The state government was highlighting mega projects as its major achievement as far as promoting investment in the state is concerned.
“Obviously the suspension of the work on these projects will be a sort of setback for the state government for the time being”, said a senior officer of the Punjab Government.
Source said the board authorities at the meeting directed its regional offices to issue notices to cancel the provisional clearance-cum-no objection certificates given to various mega projects immediately as there was no other way out to deal with this matter.
Owners of these projects would be told to stop the construction work immediately. There were nearly 30 mega projects which were given provisional clearance by the board authorities for six months.
While issuing the clearance, the board authorities had laid the condition that the owners of projects have to complete all formalities and secure environmental clearance from the Union Government in six months from the date of issuance of provisional clearance.
However, as the situation has changed in the light of the Union Government instructions, the board has decided to withdraw the provisional clearance at once.
“We have no alternative except to cancel the provisional clearance given to projects”, said a board officer. The Ministry of Environment and Forest had its regional office here to monitor the developments in this regard.
“After completing the public hearings and other formalities, we will forward the cases of mega projects to the Ministry of Environment and Forests for giving environmental clearance”, said the board officer.
He said without clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the construction work on the project
site would be an illegal act.The fate of colonisers who had started work on their mega projects and had booked plots and flats through property agents remains undecided.
The notification issued by the Union Ministry regarding projects worth Rs 50 crore or above is very clear. No work could be started on such projects without environmental clearance from the Union Government.
On April 21, the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had met the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to seek his help to secure the environment clearance for the mega projects on urgent basis.
