❑ Public hearing has been recognized as an

essential element in the Environment Impact

Assessment procedure.
❑ In 1997, the EIA notification was amended to
make public hearing for development projects
mandatory.
 IMPORTANCE OF
PUBLIC HEARING

 Involving public is one of the basic principles of a
successful EIA process.
 Public hearing provides an opportunity to the directly
affected people to express their concerns and brings
transparency in the environmental clearance system.
 We note here that public involvement is a part of
almost all EIA processes around the world.
 
Public involvement is via two ways.
 First is public consultation in which concerns of the
local people regarding the adverse impacts of a project
are defined and taken into account in the EIA study.
 Second is public participation, which is more interactive
and intensive kind of public involvement.
 
The difference between public consultation and
public participation is that while former is a
passive process of asking the public about their
concerns in writing, later is more intensive and
involved active participation of public.
In other words, public consultation is generally
done in “listening mode” while public
participation goes a step ahead and takes into
account the dialogue, scrutiny, consideration,
response etc.
 PROCESS OF PUBLIC
HEARING

In our country, public involvement was
introduced in 1997 in the form of public
hearing. However, even today, the role of
public is very limited in India.
The process begins when SPCB issues notice
in at least two newspapers circulated in the
region. One of these newspapers must be in
local language. This notice mentioned the
date, time and place of public hearing.
 
The public can hand over the written suggestions,
views, comments and objections to SPCB within
30 days of releasing such notice.
The public is entitled to have access to the
executive summary containing salient features of
project both in local language and English.
They also have access to the EIA report which can
be obtained from office of district collector or
zilla parishad or SPCB office or other
departments dealing with the project.
 
The SPCB forms a public hearing panel that has
representative from SPCB, district collector or his
/ her nominee, representatives of state
government dealing with the project, maximum 3
representatives of the local Panchayat /
municipality and maximum 3 senior citizens
nominated by district collector.
Once public hearing is over, the project
developer will get a NOC from SPCB and
submit application to the MoEF secretary to get
environmental clearance
 PUBLIC
HEARING
 PROJECTS EXEMPTED
FROM PUBLIC HEARING

Small scale industrial undertakings located in
Notified or designed industrial areas/
industrial estates.
Areas marked for industries under the
jurisdiction of industrial development
authorities.
Widening and strengthening of highways
Mining projects (major minerals) with lease
areas up to 25 hectares
 
Units located in export processing
zones and special economic zones and
Modernization of existing irrigation
projects.
MoEF is the nodal agency for
environmental clearance.
 REFERENCES

 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY-CURRENT
AFFAIRS
 Publication in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary,
Part-II, and Section 3, Sub-section (ii) MINISTRY OF
ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS New Delhi 14th
September, 2006,Notification.
 WIKIPEDIA