02 Aug 2024
July 2024 saw significant changes in India’s environmental law regime, including stricter enforcement and procedural reforms.
The month of July 2024 witnessed various developments indicating a focus on balancing environmental protection with streamlining compliance procedures for businesses. The Supreme Court’s emphasis on strengthening environmental protection by halting the construction of a bridge underscores the importance of robust environmental impact assessments and adherence to regulations for businesses involved in infrastructure projects.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) made significant efforts towards streamlining environmental compliance across states and industries by releasing draft amendments and guidelines for consent granting processes, establishing clear penalty structures, and reducing regulatory burdens and compliance costs. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) also aided these measures by extending compliance deadlines and issuing standard operating procedures (SoP) for waste management.
The key developments are discussed in detail below.
a. Supreme Court halts construction of the Tiracol bridge on Querim beach in Goa due to potential environmental damage
The Supreme Court has stayed the construction of the Tiracol bridge on Querim beach in Goa, setting asideprevious orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and remanded the matter back to the NGT to beconsidered afresh. The Court’s order reiterates its recent emphasis on ensuring fair procedure, includingthe right of all parties to present their case and challenge expert reports.
After initially halting the construction of the bridge in 2015, the NGT had permitted it as a public utility in January 2020. It relied on a report of the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai (NIOT) dated 8 February 2016 to conclude that the bridge could be built without causing environmental damage and no environmental clearance was required for the project.
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