CHENNAI: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has officially constituted two State Level Expert Appraisal Committees (SEACs) for Tamil Nadu, alongside the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (EIAA), to strengthen environmental governance.
This is the first time Tamil Nadu will be having two SEACs. A gazette notification was issued on March 6. The SEIAA, chaired by former environment secretary Syed Muzammil Abbas, includes Vasudevan Namasivayam as a member, and the director of the department of environment and climate change as member secretary. This authority will oversee environmental clearances based on recommendations from the newly formed SEACs.
SEAC-1, led by chairman PWC Davidar, comprises eight members, including experts like K Palanivelu from Anna University and Ashok Krishnamoorthy. SEAC-2 will be chaired by Vellaisamy Palanikumar, includes members like Suresh Gandhi and T Muruganandam.
“On an average, the state receives 1,500 proposals for appraisal every year. So, formation of two SEACs will lead to better scrutiny. Although it is new for Tamil Nadu, the concept of having multiple SEACs is there in states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra,” AR Rahul Nadh, director of department of environment and climate change, told TNIE.