Maharashtra Seeks Faster Clearance From Centre For Pending Port And Fisheries Projects

Maharashtra’s Minister for Fisheries and Port Development, Nitesh Rane, has urged the Union Environment Ministry to expedite approvals for 13 pending projects crucial to the state’s port infrastructure.

This comes after 42 projects from the department had already received clearance from the Centre.

Rane met Union Environment and Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav in Delhi to press for immediate action on the remaining projects.

“He demanded immediate approval of the pending development permits in Maharashtra from Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav,” a Maharashtra government press statement said.

Union Minister Yadav responded positively and assured that the remaining 13 projects will be approved as early as possible.

Rane pointed out that the CRZ demarcation maps from the Chennai headquarters are crucial for obtaining Union environment clearances for port development projects.

Despite paying the required fee for these maps, Maharashtra has not received approval from the National Coastal Management Centre in Chennai, Rane pointed out during his meeting.

Without these CRZ maps, the state government cannot proceed with applications for environmental clearance or obtain No Objection Certificates (NOC) under CRZ norms.

Highlighting the financial implications, Rane noted that the delay in permissions is escalating project costs.

Following the meeting with Minister Yadav, Rane also held detailed discussions with Union Secretary Tanmay Kumar at Paryavaran Bhavan on the matter.

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