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REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-07072025-264426
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II-Section 3-Sub-section (ii)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 2946]
NEW DELHI, FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2025
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 4th July, 2025
S.O. 3013(E).— WHEREAS, by notification of the Government of India in the erstwhile Ministry
of Environment and Forests vide number S.O.20 (E), dated the 6th January, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as
the Islands Protection Zone (IPZ) Notification, 2011), the Central Government declared certain coastal
stretches of the Middle Andaman, North Andaman, South Andaman and Greater Nicobar and entire area of
the other islands of the Andaman and Nicobar and the Lakshadweep and their water area upto territorial water
limit as the Islands Protection Zone and restrictions were imposed on the setting up and expansion of
industries, operations and processes in the said Zone;
AND WHEREAS, by notification of the Government of India in the erstwhile Ministry of Environment and
Forests vide number S.O.1533 (E), dated the 14th September, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as the Environment
Impact Assessment Notification, 2006), the Central Government directed that new projects or activities or
the expansion or modernisation of existing projects or activities listed in the Schedule to the Environment
Impact Assessment Notification entailing capacity addition with change in process or technology or product
shall be undertaken in any part of India only after obtaining prior Environmental Clearance from the Central
Government or by the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority, as the case may be;
AND WHEREAS, the clearance granted under IPZ Notification, 2011 are also applicable to the new projects
or activities or the expansion or modernisation of existing projects or activities which are proposed in the
Notification, and are also listed in the Schedule to the EIA Notification, for which Environmental Clearance
is granted;
AND WHEREAS, certain provision related to validity of clearance in the IPZ Notification, 2011 and its
amendment therein is not in conformity with EIA Notification 2006 and the Central Government is of the
opinion that it is imperative to amend the IPZ Notification, 2011 to make it in consonance with EIA
Notification 2006 as amended;
AND WHEREAS, sub-rule (4) of rule 5 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 provides that whenever
it appears to the Central Government that it is in public interest so to do, it may dispense with the requirement
of notice under clause (a) of sub- rule (3) of the said rules;
AND WHEREAS, the Central Government is of the opinion that it is in the public interest to dispense with
the requirement of notice under clause (a) of sub -rule (3) of rule 5 of the said rules to issue this notification;
NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) and clause (v) of sub-section
(2) of section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986), the Central Government hereby,
makes the following further amendments in the notification of the Government of India in the erstwhile
Ministry of Environment and Forests, number S.O. 20(E), dated the 6th January, 2011, namely:-
In the said notification, in paragraph III, in item D,—
(i) for sub item 8 and the entire relating thereto, the following shall be substituted, namely:-
“8 The clearance accorded to the projects under this notification shall be valid for a period of ten years:
Provided that the period of validity of the Islands Protection Zone clearance may be extended by a maximum
period of one year, if an application is made by the applicant within the period of validity of the clearance
along with the recommendations of the Coastal Zone Management Authority concerned:
Provided further that where the application for extension of period of validity of clearance under
this notification is filed by the applicant,-
(a) within thirty days after expiry of the period of such validity, the delay may be condoned by the
head of the division concerned in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change or
the Member-Secretary of the Coastal Zone Management Authority, as the case may be, and
thereafter the application shall be referred to the appropriate authority for consideration of the
application for extension of period of validity of the clearance;
(b) thirty days after expiry of the period of such validity but within ninety days after expiry of such
validity, the delay may be condoned by the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment,
Forests and Climate Change or the Chairperson of the Coastal Zone Management Authority, as
the case may be; and thereafter the application shall be referred to the appropriate authority for
consideration of the application for extension of period of validity of the clearance:
Provided also that no application for extension filed beyond ninety days after the expiry of the period of
validity of IPZ clearance shall be entertained.
Explanation.- For the purpose of this sub-item, the “validity of clearance” means the period from which IPZ
clearance is granted to the applicant, to the start of production operations by the project or activity; or the
completion of all construction operations in case of construction projects, to which the application for IPZ
clearance refers to.
8 (a) The project which requires both the environmental clearance and IPZ clearance, the validity of such
clearances shall be in accordance with the EIA Notification, as amended from time to time:
Provided that the extension of period of validity of such clearance shall be after obtaining
recommendation from the Coastal Zone Management Authority concerned and the Expert Appraisal
Committee concerned.
8 (b) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-item 8, the period from the 1st April, 2020 to the
31st March, 2021 shall not be considered for the purpose of calculation of the period of validity of clearance
granted under this notification in view of outbreak of Corona Virus (COVID-19).”;
(ii) after sub-item 10, the following sub-items shall be inserted, namely:-
“11. An IPZ clearance granted for a specific project or activity to an applicant may be transferred during
its validity to another legal person entitled to undertake the project or activity on application by the
transferor, or by the transferee with a written no objection by the transferor, to, and by the authority
concerned, on the same terms and conditions under which the IPZ clearance was initially granted, and for
the same period of validity of the clearance.
12. An IPZ clearance granted for a specific project, may be split amongst two or more legal persons,
entitled to undertake the project and transferred during the validity to another legal person on application
made by the transferor along with requisite documents and the Central Government or the Coastal Zone
Management Authority concerned shall split and transfer the clearance to the other legal persons for the
respective projects, after obtaining recommendation by the Coastal Zone Management Authority concerned
and if required the recommendation of the Expert Appraisal Committee concerned.
13. Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-item 12, the projects requiring both Environmental
Clearance and IPZ clearance, the transfer of clearance shall be in accordance with the provisions of the EIA
Notification, as amended from time to time, after obtaining recommendation of the concerned CZMA”.
[F. No. 19-112/2013-IA.III(Part-3)]
VED PRAKASH MISHRA, Jt Secy.
Note: The principal notification was published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-
section (ii), vide number S.O. 20 (E), dated the 6th January, 2011 and subsequently amended as follows:-
1. S.O. 3840(E) dated the 3rd August, 2018
2. S.O. 2090(E) dated the 5th May, 2022