New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- In line with recent efforts to streamline and fast track regulatory processes for industries, the Union environment ministry has amended the Uniform Consent Guidelines notified under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. One change allows private registered environmental auditors to conduct industry visits and verify compliance with environmental norms, as reported by Hindustan Times on December 5. That report said India would soon have a cadre of private third party environmental auditors to ensure industries meet environmental norms, outsourcing a key responsibility of the State in an effort to cut delays and improve ease of doing business, although environmentalists are worried that this may give industry a free rein. Another relates to the validity of Consent to Operate (CTO), required to commence and run any industry. Under the amended guidelines, CTO, once granted, will remain valid until it is cancelled. Previously, CTOs needed to be renewed every five to 15 years depending on the industry's pollution potential. Environmental compliance will continue to be enforced through periodic inspections and the consent can be cancelled in case of violations, if any noticed, the environment ministry said in a note on Wednesday. "This removes the need for repeated renewals, reduces paperwork, compliance burden on industries and ensures continuity of industrial operations," it added. Further, the processing time for grant of consent to Red Category (most polluting) industries has been reduced from 120 to 90 days. One of the important changes is the provision for consolidated consent and authorisation. State Pollution Control Boards can now process a common application and issue integrated permissions covering consents under the Air and Water Acts along with authorisations under various Waste Management Rules. "The amendments aim to ensure faster, clearer and more efficient approval processes while maintaining environmental safeguards, while supporting the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in processing consent applications and conducting inspections," the ministry said on Wednesday. Special provisions have been introduced for Micro and Small Enterprises located in notified industrial estates or areas. For such units, Consent to Establish is considered granted upon submission of a self-certified application, the note states. The amended guidelines also replace rigid minimum-distance siting criteria with site-specific environmental assessment, allowing competent authorities to stipulate appropriate safeguards based on local facts and circumstances like proximity to water bodies, settlements, monuments and ecologically sensitive areas. . "The revised framework balances ease of doing business with environmental protection through continuous monitoring, trust-based governance and a uniform national consent mechanism," the ministry's note said. But to truly work, these changes will have to be backed by capacity building, an expert said. "Without strengthening the state pollution control boards, providing them with adequate resources and manpower, such measures are unlikely to succeed," said Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, Centre for Science and Environment....