Guwahati, October 7 (Daily Kiran) : The Assam government has taken a significant step to bolster the environmental approval process by establishing the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority and the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee. This initiative aims to strengthen the institutional framework for evaluating projects requiring environmental clearance in the state.
The formation of these two statutory bodies follows a notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change on October 6. Their tenure will last four years, beginning from the date of publication in the official gazette by the central government. The committees will be responsible for making decisions on environmental clearance applications based on their recommendations.
The authority will operate within its powers and adhere to the procedures outlined in the relevant government notifications. Shyamant Bezbaruah, a retired secretary from the Assam Public Works Department, has been appointed as the chairperson of the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority. Dr. Sosindra Kumar Borahthakur, a retired professor from the Department of Botany at Gauhati University, will serve as a member, while the secretary of the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Department of the Assam government will act as the member secretary.
The State Level Expert Appraisal Committee will be chaired by Jatindra Sharma, a retired Indian Forest Service officer who previously served as the Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. Its members include Professor Parthankar Choudhury from Assam University, Dr. Rahul Mahanta from Cotton University, environmentalist Dr. Arup Barpujari, Dr. Arup Kumar Sharma from IIT Guwahati, Dr. Bhagwat Pran Duwara from Gauhati University, and Dr. Narayan Sharma from Cotton University. The member secretary of the Assam Pollution Control Board will also serve in the same capacity for this committee.
The expert panel will operate on the principle of collective responsibility. The chairperson will strive to achieve consensus on individual matters, and in the absence of agreement, the majority opinion will prevail.
Both bodies will have their offices located on the third floor of the Assam Pollution Control Board building in Bamunimaidam, Guwahati. The Pollution Control Board will act as the secretariat for these institutions, providing financial, logistical, and manpower support.
The state government will ensure necessary accommodations, transportation, and other facilities for their operations. The remuneration and allowances for the chairpersons and members will be governed by the existing rules of the Assam government.
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