Green cover mandate for industrial estate reduced

The Union environment ministry has changed the mandatory common green cover 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.

- Jayashree Nandi

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 a greenfield 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.