Ministry of Environment Constitutes State Level Impact Assessment Authority and Expert Committees for Kerala

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a statutory notification on August 28, 2025, to formalize the environmental regulatory framework for the State of Kerala. Through Notification S.O. 3937(E), the Central Government constituted the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Kerala, and three distinct State Level Expert Appraisal Committees (SEAC) to oversee environmental clearances within the state. This administrative action was taken in exercise of the powers conferred by the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and follows the procedural requirements established under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006. The primary objective of this measure is to decentralize the process of environmental screening and appraisal, ensuring that developmental projects are evaluated for their ecological impact at the state level before being granted clearance.

The legislation provided: “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986) and in pursuance of the notification of the Government of India in the erstwhile Ministry of Environment and Forests... the Central Government hereby constitutes the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Kerala (hereinafter referred to as the Authority, Kerala) comprising of the following Members...”

The newly constituted Authority is headed by Shri Pullukottayil Habel Kurian, a retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service, who serves as the Chairman. The body further includes Shri Raveendran Thekkeparambil as a Member and the Secretary of the Department of Environment, Government of Kerala, who functions as the Member Secretary. The Authority is mandated to base its final decisions on the technical recommendations provided by the Expert Appraisal Committees. While the notification stipulates that decisions should ideally be unanimous, it allows for majority decisions provided that dissenting or varying views are meticulously recorded in the minutes and forwarded to the Central Government for oversight.

To facilitate a more granular and geographically focused appraisal process, the Central Government established three separate State Level Expert Appraisal Committees, categorized by zones. The State Level Expert Appraisal Committee-1, designated for the South Zone, exercises jurisdiction over the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam. It is chaired by Shri Anirud Kumar Dharani, a retired officer of the Indian Forest Service. The State Level Expert Appraisal Committee-2, covering the Central Zone, oversees Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, and Malappuram districts under the chairmanship of Dr. Shibu Krishnan. The State Level Expert Appraisal Committee-3, responsible for the North Zone, covers Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts, with Dr. Anil Kumar Bharadwaj, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, appointed as Chairman. Each committee includes experts from various scientific and academic disciplines, such as geology, botany, and environmental engineering, to ensure a multi-disciplinary approach to project appraisal (the formal process of evaluating a project's potential environmental risks and mitigation strategies).

The legislative intent behind this notification addresses the necessity for transparency and the prevention of conflict of interest in environmental governance. The notification mandates that all members of the Authority and the Committees must declare any prior associations with consulting organizations or project proponents (the entities or individuals proposing a specific development project). Furthermore, members are prohibited from undertaking any private consultancy or assisting in the preparation of Environment Impact Assessments or Environment Management Plans during their three-year tenure. A specific recusal clause is included, requiring members to withdraw from meetings if they have provided consultancy services to a project proponent within the preceding five years.

The operational framework of these bodies is governed by the principle of collective responsibility. The State Government of Kerala is tasked with notifying a specific agency to serve as the Secretariat for the Authority and the Committees, providing the necessary financial and logistic support, including transportation and accommodation. The notification confirms that the Chairman and members will hold office for a period of three years from the date of publication in the Official Gazette. This statutory arrangement replaces or succeeds prior institutional frameworks to ensure there are no gaps in the environmental regulatory oversight in Kerala, maintaining the continuity of the mandate established under the parent Environment (Protection) Act of 1986.

Keywords: SEIAA Kerala, SEAC Kerala, Environment Protection Act 1986, Environmental Clearance, MoEFCC Notification, Kerala Environment Department, Expert Appraisal Committee, Environmental Impact Assessment

Geo Tags: India, Kerala
District: Not Applicable