As part of its ongoing efforts to streamline green clearance process for industrial, infrastructure and power projects, the Centre will on Tuesday launch a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based online support mechanism which will help the environment ministry in taking informed decisions quickly.
The GIS-based decision support system will contain high resolution satellite imagery and ground details of forest cover, types of green patch, eco-sensitive zones of protected areas, biological richness and landscape.
The system, which will be launched by environment minister Prakash Javadekar, will make the forest clearance system less cumbersome and transparent.
Developed by the Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI), the system will also have details on notified tiger corridors, other important migratory corridors, habitat of rare and endangered flora and fauna amongst others.
The availability of all data at one platform will help the authorities in getting all relevant information with click of a mouse. It will also form a platform for day-to-day monitoring of patrolling & surveillance for forest cover and wildlife.
“The data will also help in calculating net present value (the amount paid for diversion of forest land for non-forest works) of the forest cover. Once we have all information at one platform, any person can calculate the NPV in few seconds”, said an official, adding that non-availability of such data on time generally delay many clearances.
The GIS-based decision support system will be the third high-tech platform to smoothen the green clearance processes. The other two are: online environment clearance (EC) system that has been working since June and the online forest clearance (FC) system that was launched in July. A similar system for mining clearance will also be launched soon.
The GIS-based system will help different appraisal committees in taking decisions while processing data for both forest and environment clearances simultaneously.
All these form part of an effort to reform the entire green clearances system, right from digitizing information, simplifying rules, to eventually changing the existing laws relating to environment, forest, coastal zone regulation, wildlife protection, air pollution and water quality monitoring.
