PANAJI
In a bid to attract greater investment in the hospitality sector and accelerate tourism infrastructure development, NITI Aayog has recommended the creation of dedicated State-level environmental appraisal committees for hotel projects and the preparation of granular digital maps of coastal areas to simplify Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances.
The recommendations have been made in the Aayog's report, ‘Unlocking Growth in the Tourism and Hospitality Sector’, which identifies delays in environmental and coastal clearances as major bottlenecks for hotel and tourism projects across coastal states, including Goa.
“The current environment framework is often characterised by multiple layers of approvals, overlapping mandates across authorities, and limited clarity in processes, which can lead to delays and increased compliance burden for project developers,” the report stated.
One of the key proposals is the constitution of a dedicated State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) exclusively for tourism and hospitality projects to expedite the grant of Environmental Clearance (EC).
Currently, accommodation projects are appraised by SEAC that simultaneously evaluate proposals from multiple sectors resulting in longer appraisal timelines for hotel projects.
While the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 prescribes an overall timeline of 105 days for granting or rejecting an EC application, Aayog noted that these timelines are rarely adhered to in practice.
Citing a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit, the report stated that 89 per cent of environmental clearance applications exceeded the prescribed timeline, with delays occurring at different stages of the appraisal process.
To address the issue, NITI Aayog has recommended that either the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) work with state governments to establish dedicated SEACs for tourism-related projects or State formally request the Centre to constitute such specialised committees to ensure quicker appraisal of hotel proposals.
The report points to Rajasthan as an example, where multiple SEACs with defined jurisdictions were constituted to streamline environmental clearances for mining projects.
In another recommendation, the Aayog has proposed granular mapping and digitisation of coastal areas to simplify CRZ approvals.
It observed that CRZ clearances are often delayed because of inaccuracies or lack of verification in High Tide Line (HTL) and Low Tide Line (LTL) demarcations, ambiguities in Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs), and repeated site inspections and clarifications.
It pointed out that several coastal states continue to face gaps in the detailed mapping and digitisation of coastal data even after CZMPs have been approved, resulting in uncertainty during the clearance process.
To overcome these challenges, NITI Aayog has recommended that the MoEFCC issue guidelines and extend technical support to states for preparing verified, high-resolution digital maps of coastal zones with authenticated HTL and LTL demarcations.
