Ahmedabad: The central govt has notified a new six-member State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) for a four-year tenure. The move is expected to ease long-pending environmental clearances for real estate, chemicals and other industrial proposals in Gujarat.The previous SEAC’s tenure ended on June 12, slowing down environmental appraisals of projects, industry representatives and govt sources said. While an interim arrangement was put in place, developers maintained that project approvals remained largely stalled without a regular committee.Credai Gujarat had represented to the state govt seeking early reconstitution of the committee. The new panel will be chaired by former Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) member secretary D M Thaker. Other members include experts with technical specialisations relevant to environmental appraisal, sources said.The SEAC plays a pivotal role in the state’s environmental approval chain, particularly for projects classified under Category 8(a), which covers building and construction projects with a built-up area exceeding 20,000 sq m, as well as area development projects spread over 50 hectares.Tejas Joshi, president of Credai Gujarat, said the reconstitution of the committee should accelerate proposals. “SEAC is a critical link in the environmental clearance process for Category 8(a) projects. With the regular committee now in place, appraisals can move faster and project timelines are less likely to slip,” he said.Industry representatives said the absence of a functioning state committee had forced some developers to route certain permissions through central govt, a shift that can add coordination layers and extend approval timelines. With the SEAC now notified, the sector expects the backlogs to start clearing in the coming weeks.
