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How to Get Environment Clearance License in Bangladesh?
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Sustainable economic development has become Bangladesh’s primary concern and answer to global warming. The government passed the Environmental Conservation Act to reduce the harsh impacts of the industries.
So, how do you obtain an environment clearance license in Bangladesh? To obtain an environment clearance license, collect and fill out the required forms, submit the form with supporting documents, verify the application, and collect the license from the authority.
Moreover, I will discuss the requirements, the time required to get the license, and the total cost of collating the Environment Clearance License.
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What is an Environment Clearance License?
An environment clearance license is a special authorization from the Department of the Environment. This license determines the impact of the proposed industry or project on the environment.
The government can directly regulate the risky manufacturers by permitting the environment clearance license.
After considering the environmental impact, the government introduced the Bangladesh Environmental Conservation Act of 1995.
According to this act, every industry or project must need environmental approval from the Department of Environment.
More precisely, no industrial establishment is allowed without obtaining an environment clearance license.
What are the Categories of Environment Clearance License?
There are four different categories of environment clearance licenses: Green, Orange-A, Orange-B, and Red.
Each category has its own characteristics. For example, the safest industries or projects are in the Green category, and the most harmful projects are in the Red category.
For a broader understanding, consider the subsequent discussion.
Green
This type of industry or project is considered as safe for the environment. That’s why these projects belong to the green group.
These groups of industries need the least documents, and getting the approval is much easier.
For instance, the Green group of projects doesn’t need the Initial Environmental Evaluation or Environmental Impact Assessment report to get the license.
Orange-A
The Orage-A category is less safe than the Green category. These industries don’t produce much waste and are considered harmless for the environment.
Most importantly, the waste produced by these industries has a mild environmental impact.
Orange-B
Projects or industries placed under the Orange-B group are considered environmentally harmful.
However, the environmental impacts can be lessened with proper maintenance and remediation.
For instance, the Orange-B group includes fish processing, soft drinks manufacturing, and mineral water manufacturing plants.
Red
As the name suggests, projects or industries severely impacting the local ecosystem are included in this group.
These industries must ensure the best protection while handling the waste. These projects face several obstacles while managing the license.
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What Documents are Required for an Environment Clearance License in Bangladesh?
You must collect several documents to get an environment clearance license from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Depending on the project or industry categories, the license requirements may vary.
The following are the necessary documents and permissions for obtaining an environment clearance license in Bangladesh.
- No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the project.
- Project profile and project details.
- Bank Solvency Certificate.
- Layout plan of the industry or project.
- Flow Process Diagram of the manufactured product and the raw materials (including pollution points).
- Cadastral map of the plant with Dag & Khotian number.
- BIDA (Bangladesh Investment Development Authority) registration.
- Document of Land ownership or rent agreements.
- Initial Environmental Examination report.
- Treasury Challan for fee payment.
- Environmental Management Plan report.
- Environmental Impact Assessment report.
- Fire license from the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defence.
- Trade license of the industry.
- Effluent Disposal System.
- Effluent Treatment Plant.
After collecting all the above documents, you can apply to the appropriate authority for the environmental clearance license.
How to Get an Environment Clearance License in Bangladesh
Obtaining an environment clearance license from the Department of Environment is lengthy.
The license processing duration may be shortened depending on the project or industry category.
For instance, getting a license under the Green category is much easier and faster than obtaining a permit for a project under the Red category.
Consider the subsequent steps to obtain an environment clearance license in Bangladesh.
Collect and Fill Out the Required Form
Depending on the license category, an industry or project must collect the appropriate form from the authority.
After collating the required form, fill up the form with the necessary information.
Submit the Form with Supporting Documents
To obtain an environment clearance license, you will need several supporting documents. The list of the required documents may vary depending on the project and time.
Collaborating with a business lawyer to prepare all the supporting documents is suggested.
Once all the documents are prepared, submit the form with the additional documents to the DoE.
Verification of Application
In this stage, the authority will check the documents and the form. Verifying the documents and other information is a lengthy process.
During the verification, you must maintain a good relationship with the Department of the Environment. Frequently check for updates and ensure everything is under control.
Inspection by the Inspector
In this stage, an inspector from the DoE will check the documents and information further. The inspection officer can visit the project area and inspect the pollution possibilities.
The Department of Environment will arrange a meeting with the project owner for the Orange-B and Red category projects.
In that meeting, the committee will consider all the risks related to the environment. Finally, the committee will make a decision.
Collect the License from DoE
If the authority is satisfied with all the plans and facilities of the project, they will issue an environment clearance license for the project.
Note: The validity of an ECC is five years. After acquiring a license for a project, you must initiate the project within 5 years. Otherwise, you have to obtain another license for that project.
What are the Fees for an Environment Clearance License in Bangladesh?
The environment clearance license cost depends on the project’s total investment. The larger the investment, the higher the fee the government will charge for the license.
The following is the table of environmental clearance and renewal fees based on the amount of industry or project investment.
Investment Amount Range | Environment Clearance Fee | Renewal Fee |
01-50 Lakh | BDT 1500-5000 | 1⁄4 of the clearance fee |
50 Lakh – 20 Crore | BDT 10000-40000 | 1⁄4 of the clearance fee |
20 Crore – 200 Crore | BDT 80000-200000 | 1⁄4 of the clearance fee |
200 Crore – 1000 Crore | BDT 300000-400000 | 1⁄4 of the clearance fee |
1000 Crore and above | BDT 500000 | 1⁄4 of the clearance fee |
Let me clarify the renewal and clearance fee concept with an example.
Suppose the investment of your project is 50 Crore, then the environmental clearance fee is 100000, and the renewal fee is 25000.
For instance, getting a license under the Green category is much easier and faster than obtaining a permit for a project under the Red category.
Consider the subsequent steps to obtain an environment clearance license in Bangladesh.
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How to Renew an Environment Clearance License in Bangladesh?
Renewing an environmental license is mandatory. Depending on the license category, you must renew the license in 1 to 3 years.
For the green category industries, the renewal time is three years. The renewal time is only one year for other categories (Orange-A, Orange-B, and Red).
You have only thirty days before the expiry date to renew the licenses. So, always ensure the environmental clearance license is updated.
To renew the license, perform the following steps:
- Apply with supporting documents to the DoE.
- Pay the renewal fee and VAT at the concerned account.
- Send a copy of the documents to the concerned regional or divisional offices.
Depending on the license, it will take around 7 to 10 days to complete the renewal process after the documents have been submitted to DoE.
Conclusion
The Bangladesh government forces industries to obtain permission from the Department of Environment to reduce the harsh environmental impact and to ensure the best waste management.
By maintaining all the DoE regulations and paying the required fees, you can easily get an environment clearance license in Bangladesh for your new project or industry.
If you want the license effortlessly, you may get expert assistance from Law Advisor BD.
FAQs
You can collect the environment clearance license form (Form 3) from your division’s Director or Deputy Director of the Department of Environment. On the contrary, you can also download Form 3 from the official Department of Environment website.
Unfortunately, you cannot register online for an environment clearance license in Bangladesh. Instead, you must submit the form to the DOE with supporting documents to get the license. However, the forms and supporting documents can be collected digitally.
The average time for getting an environmental clearance license is approximately 1 to 5 months. However, depending on the license category, the licensing time may vary. For example, the projects under the green category take only 15 – 30 days to get the license.
