India, March 9 -- To fast-track environmental clearances (EC) further, the Union government has decided to set up a Standing Authority on Environment Impact Assessment (SAEIA), which will appraise projects when state-level impact assessment authorities are non-functional. The SAEIA will also discharge other tasks entrusted to it, according to a March 5 draft notification.

The draft notification notes that the tenure of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) is three years, extendable by one year. In the absence of SEIAA/SEAC, appraisal of projects within their domain is carried out at the central level. The process of reconstitution is initiated six months before expiry...