The Indian government has taken a significant step to regulate the establishment of religious sites within the country's ecologically sensitive zones. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has officially framed a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for granting approval to religious institutions located inside protected forests and wildlife areas.
What Do the New Standard Operating Procedures Entail?
The newly formulated guidelines provide a clear, structured framework for state governments and Union Territory administrations to follow when they propose the regularization or approval of religious sites situated on forest land. This move aims to bring uniformity and transparency to a process that was previously handled on a more ad-hoc basis.
The core of the SOPs mandates that any proposal for a religious site within a protected forest or a wildlife sanctuary must first receive a unanimous recommendation from the state's Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). This recommendation is a critical prerequisite. Following this, the proposal must be presented for final consideration and approval to the National Board for Wildlife itself, which is chaired by the Prime Minister.
The procedures explicitly state that these guidelines apply to all types of religious structures, including temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, and others. The need for these SOPs was underscored by the National Board for Wildlife in its 67th meeting, where it was observed that various states were seeking approvals for such sites without a consistent regulatory mechanism in place.
The Approval Process and Key Conditions
The journey for a religious site to gain approval under the new system is multi-layered. It begins at the state level. The concerned state government must prepare a detailed proposal and submit it to the state's Standing Committee of the NBWL. This committee must examine the proposal thoroughly and, if it agrees, pass a unanimous resolution in its favor.
Only after securing this unanimous state-level recommendation can the proposal be forwarded to the central government for deliberation by the full National Board for Wildlife. The final authority to grant approval rests solely with the National Board for Wildlife. This two-tier process is designed to ensure rigorous scrutiny at both regional and national levels.
The SOPs also introduce important conditions to minimize ecological disruption. A fundamental rule is that the approval will only consider the regularization of the existing site footprint. No fresh clearance of forest land for expansion of the religious structure or related facilities will be permitted under this process. This condition is crucial for preventing further encroachment and degradation of protected ecosystems.
Implications and Rationale Behind the Framework
This policy development has significant implications for forest governance and the management of cultural sites in ecologically sensitive areas. By creating a formal SOP, the government seeks to address long-pending requests from states while simultaneously asserting central oversight to ensure environmental safeguards are not compromised.
The framework attempts to strike a delicate balance between respecting religious sentiments and upholding conservation imperatives. It acknowledges the historical existence of many religious sites within forests but aims to prevent the proliferation of new encroachments under the guise of religious activity. The emphasis on the "existing site" condition is a direct measure to control the expansion of human settlements and infrastructure inside protected zones.
This move is expected to streamline decision-making, reduce ambiguities, and create a single window of clearance for such sensitive proposals. It centralizes the approval power with the NBWL, ensuring that national conservation goals are prioritized. For state governments, it provides a clear pathway to follow when dealing with the politically and socially complex issue of religious structures on forest land.
Environmentalists are likely to view this as a step towards more regulated management, though its effectiveness will depend on strict implementation. The success of these SOPs will be measured by how well they curb unauthorized expansion while providing a fair mechanism for reviewing existing sites.
