Roles in the EIA Process
EIA involves many parties, grouped by their role definition within the process. The following section outlines the basic responsibilities of various bodies:
¨ The Project Proponent
¨ The Environmental Consultants
¨ The State Pollution Control Board / Pollution Control Committees (PCCs)
¨ The Public
¨ The Impact Assessment Agency
The Role of the Project Proponent
The project proponent during the project planning stage decides the type of projects i.e. new establishment, expansion or modernisation. Later the project proponent needs to prepare the Detailed Project Report/Feasibility Report and submits the Executive Summary, which shall incorporate the project details, and findings of EIA study, which is to be made available to concerned public.
The proponent has to approach the concerned SPCB for NOC and holding the public hearing. After the public hearing the proponent submits application to IAA for environmental clearance.
Role of Environment Consultant
Environmental consultant should be conversant with the existing legal and procedural requirements of obtaining environmental clearance for proposed project. The consultant should guide the proponent through initial screening of the project and establish whether EIA studies are required to be conducted and if so finalise the scope of such study. The consultant should also be fully equipped with required instruments and infrastructure for conducting EIA studies. The environmental consultant is responsible for supplying all the environment-related information required by the SPCB and IAA through the proponent. The consultant is also required to justify the findings in the EIA and EMP during the meeting with the expert groups at IAA.
The Role of the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) /Pollution Control Committee (PCC)
The State PCBs/PCCs are responsible for assessing the compatibility of a proposed development with current operational and prescribed standards. If the development is in compliance, the PCB will then issue its NOC. They shall also hold the public hearing as per the provisions of EIA notification. The details of public hearing shall be forwarded to IAA.
The Role of the Public
The public also has an important role to play in EIA. The concerned persons will be invited through press advertisement to review information and provide their views on the proposed development requiring environmental clearance.
The Role of the Impact Assessment Agency (IAA)
Where a proponent is required to obtain environmental clearance, the IAA will evaluate and assess the EIA report. In this process the project proponent will be given a chance to present his proposal. If a project is accepted the IAA will also prepare a set of recommendations and conditions for its implementation based on this assessment. Environmental clearance conditions and recommendations of IAA are made available to the public on request through SPCB and through web site at http://envfor.nic.in. During the implementation and operation of the project, the IAA will also be responsible for the environmental monitoring process.
