Centre Eases Pollution Clearances, Amends Uniform Consent Rules
Reforms under Air and Water Acts aim to cut delays, simplify approvals and strengthen environmental compliance
- Consolidated consent to cover Air, Water and waste authorisations
- Consent to Operate to remain valid until cancelled
- Approval timeline for Red Category industries cut to 90 days
- Registered environmental auditors to aid faster inspections
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 28th Jan: The Government has amended the Uniform Consent Guidelines under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 to further streamline approvals for industries and reduce procedural delays, while strengthening environmental governance.
The revised guidelines aim to bring greater consistency, transparency and accountability in granting, refusing or cancelling Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) across all States and Union Territories.
A key reform is the introduction of Consolidated Consent and Authorisation, allowing State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) to process a single application covering permissions under the Air and Water Acts along with authorisations under various Waste Management Rules. This integrated system is expected to significantly reduce multiple applications and shorten approval timelines.
One of the major amendments relates to the validity of Consent to Operate. Under the new framework, CTO will remain valid until it is cancelled, eliminating the need for repeated renewals. Compliance will continue to be monitored through periodic inspections, and consent can be cancelled in case of violations. This move is expected to reduce paperwork, lower compliance burden and ensure continuity of industrial operations.
The processing time for Red Category industries has also been reduced from 120 days to 90 days to speed up approvals. In addition, Registered Environmental Auditors, certified under the Environment Audit Rules, 2025, will now be allowed to conduct site visits and verify compliance, supplementing inspections by SPCB officials.
Special provisions have been introduced for Micro and Small Enterprises located in notified industrial estates. For such units, Consent to Establish will be deemed granted upon submission of a self-certified application, as the land has already been environmentally assessed.
The amended guidelines also replace rigid minimum-distance siting criteria with site-specific environmental assessments, allowing authorities to prescribe safeguards based on local conditions such as proximity to water bodies, settlements and ecologically sensitive areas.
States and Union Territories have also been allowed to prescribe a one-time CTO fee for periods ranging from 5 to 25 years, reducing repetitive fee collection and administrative processing. A uniform definition of ‘capital investment’ has been introduced to ensure consistency in fee assessment.
The Government said the revised framework balances ease of doing business with environmental protection through continuous monitoring, trust-based governance and a uniform national consent mechanism.
