Port Blair, Jan 1: On 21st November, 2023, Shri. Vishal Jolly, National Executive Member-BJP met Shri. Bhupendra Yadav, Hon'ble Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India at New Delhi and raised the issue with respect of early notifications of Re-Constitution of State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), A & N Islands. He had pointed out that in order to Re-Constitute the aforementioned Authority & Committee, recently the proposed names of its members was forwarded by the A&N Administration before the Ministry for its approval and the same is pending for its approval and subsequent notification.
He had further enlightened the Hon'ble Minister that unless and until the said committee is re-constituted and notified, the Quarry allotment cannot be finalised and because of non-availability of quarry products/stone aggregates, the entire infrastructural developmental activities are in a standstill. Therefore, he had earnestly requested the Minister to expedite the process and notify the same by passing appropriate directions to the concerned officials.
Thereafter on few more occasions during his visits at New Delhi, Jolly has been pursuing the matter with the officials of the concerned Ministry for expediting the process of finalising and notifying the Committees.
Ultimately on 22nd December, 2023, the proposal was finalised and a notification to that effect has been made by the GOI in the official Gazette, for which Shri. Vishal Jolly has expressed his heartiest gratitude to the Shri Bhupendra Yadav, Hon'ble Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climatic Change, Government of India, the Andaman & Nicobar Administration and all other officials involved in the process for speedily finalising and notifying the newly constituted committees.
He further requests the A & N Administration to expedite the process of allotment of quarries and make the quarry products available to the general public in affordable price at the earliest.