New Delhi: Amid the debate over development versus ecology, Environment Ministry today came out with a notification identifying 39 sectors which will require prior environmental clearance for any project to be undertaken.

"To ensure that the economic growth and development in our country is in conformity with regulations for environmental conservation, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has notified the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006," the Ministry said in a statement here. 

Mining, mineral beneficiation, airports, asbestos, ports and harbours, building construction and townships, highways, coal washery, aerial ropeways and nuclear power are the 10 sectors in the EIA Manuals approved by the ministry. 

The other 27 Sector Specific Manuals approved by IL&FS Ecosmart Ltd include thermal power, cement, chemical fertilizers, sugar, distilleries, leather/skin/hide processing industry, pulp & paper, offshore and on-shore Oil & Gas exploration, development & production, induction/Arc and cupola furnaces, metallurgical industries. 

It also includes oil & gas transportation pipe-line, oil refineries, petrochemical plants, pesticides and pesticide intermediates, chlor alkali industry, synthetic organic industry, petrol-chemical based production, coke oven plants, soda ash, integrated paints, man-made fibre, isolated storages and handling of hazardous chemicals, common municipal solid wastes, common effluent treatment plants, industrial estates, ship breaking yards and common hazardous waste disposal and storage and treatment facilities. 

The Ministry said these manuals would help in standardisation of the quality of appraisal and in further harmonization in appraisal of projects by Expert Appraisal Committee/State Level Expert Appraisal Committee/State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities in granting environmental clearances for various projects at the central and state level. 

The Manuals for each sector is to include Model Terms Of References, technological options, processes for a cleanerproduction, waste minimisation, monitoring of environmental quality, related regulations, and procedure of obtaining EC if linked to other clearances etc, it said. 

"To keep pace with changing technologies and needs of sustainable development, the manuals would require regular updating in the future," it added.