Delhi HC seeks Centre's response on application to extend time for public comments on draft EIA notification

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of the Central government on an application seeking modification in its earlier order and directions to extend the time for public comments on the draft EIA notification 2020.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the Centre on the plea and slated the matter for further hearing on September 23.

The application, filed by environmentalist Vikrant Tongad through advocates Srishti Agnihotri and Abishek Jebaraj, sought modification in the court's earlier order to extend the time for public comments on the draft EIA notification 2020 by a period of 60 days from the date of uploading the translated versions of the draft notification in all the languages mentioned in Schedule VIII.

It also sought a direction to the respondent Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to upload and prominently display the translated versions of the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 on the home page of its main website.

The Delhi High Court had earlier extended the time granted to the general public to give their suggestions for the Draft EIA 2020 till August 11 and observed there was ambiguity in the notification dated May 8 which extended the time given to the public to give their suggestions for the draft notification.

The bench had also opined that the proposed notification should be translated into other languages too for the effective dissemination and directed to publish the translations through the website of the MoEFC and websites of Environment Ministries of all the states as well as those of State Pollution Control Boards.

( With inputs from ANI )

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