"So, the question was what to do in the intervening period as a large number of such cases (almost 400) under consideration has been put on hold. The ESP amount, to be paid by violators for restoring ecological damage, will be additional financial burden imposed on them. Therefore, a rigorous stopgap arrangement was to be made," said Singh.He added that under the previous arrangement violating companies used to get environmental clearances and their violations regularised by paying just Rs 1 lakh.Under the proposed mechanism, an expert committee will inspect the site, assess the environmental damage and recommend Environmental Supplemental Plan (ESP) for cases of green violations. NEW DELHI: There are almost 400 cases of green violations across the country where companies cannot be penalised for going ahead with their construction and expansion work without getting prior environmental clearance just because there is no process in place to deal with them.The environment ministry is facing this peculiar situation due to quashing of the office memorandum (OM), issued in 2012 and 2013 to deal with violators, by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in July last year. It will also be open to the authorities to place the violators simultaneously under all other laws for environmental infringements.The notification will later be replaced by a proposed civil penalties law where the green violators will have to pay fine ranging from Rs 5 crore to Rs 20 crore for different violations and imprisonment of seven years that may even be extended to a life term in case of 'substantial' environmental damage to a larger area.

Source: Times of India July 03, 2016 20:24 UTC