West Bengal issues directives to streamline wildlife and forest clearances, experts raise concerns

Business To Business, New Delhi, 13^th June, 2026:  The West Bengal Forest Department has issued a set of directives aimed at reducing delays in granting forest and wildlife clearances for infrastructure and development projects across the state.
According to an office memorandum issued on June 9, the move seeks to address what the department described as a major procedural bottleneck: the repeated and fragmented issuance of Essential Details Sought (EDS) queries by officials processing clearance applications.
What the Directives Aim to Do
The state government believes that multiple rounds of EDS queries often prolong the approval process for projects involving:

• Roads and highways.
• Power infrastructure.
• Public utilities.
• Industrial projects.
• Other development initiatives requiring forest or wildlife clearances.

• Streamline scrutiny of applications.
• Reduce repetitive requests for information.
• Ensure faster processing of proposals.
• Improve coordination between project proponents and officials.

• Curtail the discretion of field-level officers.
• Limit the ability of officials to seek clarifications during scrutiny.
• Reduce the depth of environmental assessment.
• Increase the risk of approvals being granted without adequate examination.

• Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs).
• Nodal officers handling clearances.
• Wildlife wardens and other technical authorities.

• Delays increase project costs.
• Infrastructure development is slowed.
• Investment and public works suffer.

• Forest and wildlife clearances require careful examination.
• Field officers play a critical role in identifying ecological risks.
• Reduced scrutiny could affect biodiversity and wildlife habitats.

• Timely execution of development projects.
• Compliance with environmental regulations.
• Protection of forests and wildlife.
• Accountability in the clearance process.