Centre reduces green cover mandate for industrial estate

THe unification surround ministry has changed the mandatory mutual william green extend requirement for industrial estates from 33% to 10%, while introducing differentiated norms for individual industries based on their pollution potential, according to people aware of the matter who asked not to be named.The move, aimed at what the government sees as “rationalising” requirements and balancing land availability with environmental needs, marks a significant easing of uniform norms that have been in place since 2020. However, the actual green cover in any estate will now depend on the pollution profile of industries located within it, with highly polluting units still required to maintain substantial green belts within their premises.Under the revised guidelines, a minimum of 10% of an industrial estate’s area must be designated as common green area with dense plantation of 2,500 trees per hectare, to be developed by the estate owner. This can be at one location or spread across multiple sites within the premises, provided it is clearly demarcated.Additionally, individual industries within estates will face varying requirements. Red category industries—the most polluting—must maintain 15% green belt within their own premises, while orange category units need 10%. Green and white category industries, which are relatively less polluting, face no mandatory requirement, making green cover optional for them.This means an estate dominated by red category industries would still have significant green cover—10% common area plus 15% within individual units—though the responsibility is now distributed differently. By contrast, an estate with predominantly green or white category industries could see green cover drop substantially below the earlier 33% benchmark.A green belt is a buffer zone of vegetation around an industrial area, designed to reduce the environmental impact of industrial activities by absorbing pollutants and providing a barrier between industrial operations and surrounding areas.For standalone industrial units outside estates, the norms introduce a more complex, differentiated approach. Red category units in predominantly air-polluting sectors must maintain 25% green belt, while other red category units need 20%. Orange category requirements range from 15-20% depending on air pollution scores, while green category industries with high air pollution potential need 10%. White category standalone units face no mandatory requirement.Industry bodies have long argued that the uniform 33% requirement did not account for varying pollution levels and made land acquisition prohibitively expensive, hampering industrial growth. However, the scientific basis for the revised percentages and whether environmental impact assessments were conducted to validate the adequacy of reduced requirements remains unclear.The previous requirement, set through an office memorandum dated October 27, 2020, mandated an overall green area of at least 33% for industrial estates, parks, complexes, Export Processing Zones, Special Economic Zones, biotech parks and leather complexes. Industrial estates were allowed to allocate part of this responsibility to individual units, but the aggregate target remained 33%.The revision comes as India seeks to boost manufacturing and streamline environmental clearances to position itself as a global manufacturing hub. The move aligns with the government’s broader effort to ease compliance requirements for industries, though environmental groups have raised concerns that reducing green buffers could worsen air quality in industrial zones at a time when India faces a severe air pollution crisis.