Coronavirus: Environment Ministry suspends meetings of its green panel till March 31

New Delhi: The Environment Ministry has put all meetings of its expert appraisal committees (EAC), responsible for issuing green clearances, on hold till March 31 amid a spurt in new coronavirus cases across the country, a top environment ministry official said. "We have put all (meetings of) EACs on hold due to the situation. No meeting will take place till March 31.

One meeting means 50-60 people coming together. So we will not have that," the official said. Among the projects pending before the committees is a proposal to construct a new Parliament building, a part of the government's ambitious plan to redevelop the Central Vista. Asked about the Central Vista project, the official said, "We don't have the entire project seeking clearance. Only the new Parliament building proposal has come to us. But all meetings have been put on hold for now." The new coronavirus has claimed five lives in India with the number of infected cases above 200 as on Friday.

The Central Vista plan proposes a new Parliament building with the existing one being converted into a museum. It envisages a triangular Parliament building, a common Central Secretariat and the revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath - from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. The prime minister's residence and office are likely to be shifted near the South Block and the vice-president's new house will be in the vicinity of the North Block as per a blueprint prepared by the government.