India, Aug. 17 -- Industrial sheds, schools, colleges and hostels for educational institutions will no longer benefit from an exemption from obtaining environmental clearances under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to the structure's construction. The exemption, granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January this year, was struck down by the Supreme Court last week following a petition by city NGO Vanashakti.

A bench of chief justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and justice K Vinod Chandran held that the exemption "does not appear to be in tune with the purpose for which the Environment Protection Act has been enacted." The EP Act 1986 was to implement the decisions of the United Nations C...