New Delhi, April 14 -- Extraction, sourcing or borrowing of ordinary earth for "linear projects" will be exempted from environmental clearance, but with environmental safeguards, an office memorandum issued by the Union environment ministry last month said.
The office memorandum, issued on March 18, referred to a notification issued by the ministry on March 17 defining linear projects, and listing out the safeguards that need to be followed.
The notification, seen by HT, stated that linear projects will include "slurry pipelines, oil and gas transportation pipeline, highways or laying of railway lines, which require extraction or sourcing or borrowing of ordinary earth above the threshold of 20,000 cubic metre and does not require prior e...