Parliament Panel Flags Delays, Urges Faster Green Clearances for Coal Mines

• Parliamentary panel flags significant delays in environment and forest clearances for coal mining projects.
• Panel recommends streamlining procedures, strengthening digital systems, and improving inter-agency coordination.
• Forest clearances can take up to 34 months, with private operators facing longer delays than public sector undertakings.
• Key approvals from DGMS and CGWA are not integrated into digital systems, causing duplication and execution delays.
• Concerns were raised over the low number of state-level environmental clearances granted for projects under 500 hectares.

Why It Matters: Slow environmental approvals for coal mines threaten India's energy security and economy.