The Government of India issued the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification in 2006, drawing its authority of clearance from Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, specifically sub-section (1) and clause (v) of sub-section (2). Under this notification, as it’s been amended over the years, projects and activities tied to physical infrastructure, including environmental services, fall under Item 7 of its Schedule.
These get appraised at two levels: Category A projects go through the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) at the Central level, while Category B projects go through the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) at the State or UT level. Both committees weigh the full range of environmental implications tied to a project. Some infrastructure stretches, though, end up falling within or right next to Tiger Reserves or other Protected Areas, which changes what’s required.
A Two-Tier Scrutiny Process for Sensitive Areas
Once a proposal is submitted through the PARIVESH portal, the Ministry examines it on an ongoing basis. But if a proposal touches a Tiger Reserve or other Protected Area, it doesn’t just go through one review. It has to clear two: first, appraisal by the EACs for Environmental Clearance under the 2006 notification, and second, a separate approval for Wildlife Clearance from the competent bodies and authorities, as laid out under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, alongside the Ministry’s own guidelines and any relevant court directions.
A Digital Tool to Support Faster, Evidence-Based Decisions
To make this scrutiny sharper, the Ministry built a Decision Support System (DSS) into the PARIVESH portal. It’s a GIS-enabled spatial visualization and analysis platform that pulls together multiple geospatial datasets to gauge how environmentally sensitive a project’s location actually is. The system runs automated proximity checks, measuring how close a project sits to Protected Areas, Eco-Sensitive Zones, forests, wetlands, coastal regulation zones and other ecologically important features. That gives EACs and regulatory bodies solid, evidence-based information to work with when making decisions, and helps things move faster too.
How Wildlife Clearance Actually Gets Decided
For projects inside Protected Areas, Eco-Sensitive Zones or Areas, or forest land, Wildlife Clearance goes through its own multi-tiered chain: the State Chief Wild Life Warden reviews it first, then the State Board for Wild Life, and finally, if recommended, the Ministry and the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SCNBWL). At each stage, reviewers look at how ecologically sensitive the area is, what cumulative and specific effects the project might have on wildlife habitats and corridors, and whether the proposed mitigation measures hold up, all assessed case by case. SCNBWL only recommends Wildlife Clearance once it’s satisfied that impacts have been properly weighed, mitigation measures are in place, and adequate safeguards have been built in.
Environmental Clearance follows a similar logic: it’s only granted after environmental impacts are fully considered and project-specific safeguards, including whatever’s laid out in the Environmental Management Plan, are incorporated. And no project proponent can begin construction or any related work without first securing Wildlife Clearance, where it applies, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
By the Numbers: Clearances Granted in Protected Areas
Between financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26, 20 infrastructure projects and activities received Environmental Clearance through this process, in each case with the project site located wholly or partly within a Protected Area or Eco-Sensitive Zone/Area.
Safeguards Built Into Every Clearance
Whichever level appraises a project, whether Central, State or UT, the Expert Appraisal Committee attaches project-specific environmental safeguards as conditions of the Environmental Clearance, aimed at avoiding, minimising and mitigating harm. These typically cover wildlife protection, habitat conservation, pollution control, compensatory plantation, and ongoing environmental monitoring, depending on what the project calls for. The scientific rigor built into the appraisal and approval process is what ensures ecologically sensitive landscapes get adequate protection.
Key Takeaway: India’s environmental appraisal framework ensures that infrastructure projects proposed in or near Tiger Reserves, Protected Areas, and other ecologically sensitive regions undergo rigorous scientific and legal scrutiny before receiving approval.
Through the combined application of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and digital tools such as the GIS-enabled PARIVESH portal, authorities evaluate ecological impacts, wildlife concerns, and mitigation measures before granting Environmental and Wildlife Clearances. By mandating project-specific safeguards and prohibiting work without the required approvals, the framework seeks to balance infrastructure development with biodiversity conservation and sustainable environmental governance.
M.C.Q.
Question 1: Projects located within or near Tiger Reserves and other Protected Areas require Wildlife Clearance under which legislation?
- A. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
- B. Biological Diversity Act, 2002
- C. Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
- D. National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
Question 2: The PARIVESH portal’s GIS-enabled Decision Support System (DSS) is primarily designed to:
- A. Monitor tiger populations through satellite imagery
- B. Conduct automated spatial analysis of proposed projects with respect to environmentally sensitive areas
- C. Issue environmental clearances without expert appraisal
- D. Prepare forest fire forecasts for State Governments
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