Date:14/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/01/14/stories/2005011401011700.htm

Back Environment Ministry clears GE's Jaipur call centre proposal

Mamuni Das

This is the first project to be cleared by an expert committee set up to do the environment impact assessment of new construction projects and industrial estates.

New Delhi , Jan. 13

THE Environment Ministry has cleared GE Capital International Services (GECIS) for construction of a call centre facility in Jaipur.

The new facility, which would come up at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, would house about 1,800 people working in three shifts, informed reliable sources.

This was, in fact, the first project to be cleared by an expert committee, set up by the Environment Ministry last month in order to do the environment impact assessment (EIA) of new construction projects and industrial estates as per the EIA Notification issued on July 7.

The notification had mandated an environmental clearance from the Centre for all new townships, industrial townships, settlement colonies, commercial complexes, hotel complexes, hospitals, industrial estates and office complexes that would require an investment of over Rs 50 crore.

The clearance from the Ministry is also required for those projects that would house over 1,000 persons or discharge sewage of 50,000 litres per day or more.

The 15-member committee, headed by Mr Paritosh C Tyagi, former Chairman of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), will meet once every month to study various proposals.

For the GE facility, the committee has mandated installation of a sewage treatment plant, water harvesting system and energy conservation measures such as installation of solar panels, among others.

Apart from the GE call centre, another proposal awaiting clearance is from the Hyderabad-based Ramky Pharma City (India) Ltd, for construction of a Pharma City Project to be located at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

The committee, which includes experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, The Energy and Resources Institute and National Productivity Council, will suggest safeguards, where feasible, to mitigate the adverse environmental impact and also pollution prevention devices.

The committee can also clear or reject proposals from environmental perspective with or without safeguards.

The Ministry has also received queries for about 215 housing and mall construction projects from the Sahara Group, said sources.