In a draft gazette notice issued February 7, the environment ministry proposed to amend the Environment Impact Assessment notification 2006. This would allow ropeway projects to be excluded from the ministry’s jurisdiction and thus the environment clearance. The draft, made at the request of transport ministry, will take effect in 60 days. ET has learned that two months ago, the transport ministry applied for the exemption.
Parvatmala will award eight 60-kilometer ropeways to hill states this year. Details have been prepared for Kedarnath Sahib in Uttarakhand. The projects will be implemented under the PPP mode. According to government statements they are being presented as an alternative to conventional roads in hilly terrains.
All projects listed on the EIA notification must have environmental clearance. This is a four-stage process that takes at most 90 days. Ropeways are listed under 7 (g) of this schedule. After a request from the transport ministry, the environment ministry has removed 7 (g) from the schedule citing its powers under section 3. of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
In 2021, rules were amended to make the transport ministry responsible in developing ropeways and other mobility solutions in the country. ET received confirmation from officials of the transport ministry that they had raised the issue with the environment ministry prior to the Parvatmala project, which was still in progress.
They claimed that ropeways cause’minimal’ to no environmental damage and should not be subject to the environment clearing process. The green ministry noted that ropeways were exempted from the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, subject to certain conditions.