Parliament Question: Environmental Clearance for setting up of Electricity Sub-Station

OIH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3530 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025 Environmental Clearance for setting up of Electricity Sub-Station

3530. SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH PATEL:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to

state:

(a) the rules to accord the environmental clearance for undertaking development works by the Government on forest land;

(b) whether it is a fact that the fee for granting permission for the said works is fixed on the basis of area and collected from the Government departments, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether it is also a fact that the project cost of setting up of 33/11 KV sub-station in village Sirvel development block, Bhagwanpura of Khargone Lok Sabha Constituency is Rs. 3.50 crore but the Department of Forest has demanded the compensation of Rs.

10.32 crore due to which the establishment of the said sub-station is pending; and

(d) whether the Department of Forest is taking any initiative to reduce the compensation amount of the said pending project ? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) All projects or activities covered in the schedule to the Environmental Impact Assessment

Notification, 2006, shall require prior Environmental Clearance (EC) to be setup any where in the country, including forest land. In line with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, in W.P (C) No. 202 of 1995, ECs are granted only after the grant of Stage-I Forest Clearance, in case forest land is involved in the project area.

(b) The amount for Compensatory Afforestation and Net Present Value are applicable as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry as per Van (Sanrakshan evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam,

1980.

(c) The Government of India on 15.11.2024 issued the in-principle approval for Diversion of

29.212 ha Reserved Forest land for laying 33 KV line from Kadwali to Sirvel Power Transmission Line in favour of Executive Engineer, Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board in Khargone District of Madhya Pradesh. The Divisional Forest Officer, Khargone issued a demand letter to the User Agency for depositing the amount of Net Present Value (NPV), compensatory afforestation and medicinal plantation on the basis of the conditions imposed in the approval issued by the Government of India.As per the rates of NPV mentioned in the letter dated 06.01.2022 of the Government of India, an amount of ₹2,79,78,669/- has been demanded from the User Agency at the rate of ₹9,57,780/- per hectare. As per Government of India letter dated 21.08.2023 instructions have been given to prepare Compensatory Afforestation plan in double degraded forest land in cases of transmission line projects. Hence, the Divisional Forest Officer has prepared a Compensatory Afforestation plan in 60.00 hectares and demand has been raised for an amount of ₹6,44,63,075/- from the User Agency. As per the conditions imposed in the in-principle approval dated 15.11.2024 issued by the Government of India, the Divisional Forest Officer prepared a medicinal plantation scheme in 30 hectares below the line and raised a demand for an amount of ₹1,08,30,660/- from the User Agency. Accordingly, the Divisional Forest Officer, Khargone has issued a demand note to the User Agency to deposit an amount totaling to ₹10.32 crore.

(d) With regards to the compensatory levies sought from the User Agency, charges towards Net Present Value is levied as per rates mentioned in the Consolidated Guidelines under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. Charges towards Compensatory Afforestation and raising Medicinal Plantations under Right-of-Way is levied by the State Government as per its plantation norms.

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