CREDAI Workshop Drives Greater Regulatory Clarity and Ease of Doing Business for Real Estate Sector
New Delhi, September 5, 2026: CREDAI, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), organized a workshop at the India Habitat Centre to address environmental clearance timelines and enhance the ease of doing business for the real estate sector, CREDAI said in a press release.
The event was attended by Shekhar Patel, President, CREDAI, G. Ram Reddy, President-Elect, CREDAI, and Rajat Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, alongside senior government and CPCB officials.
Highlighting the industry’s position, Shekhar Patel, President, CREDAI, said, “CREDAI sincerely appreciates the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Central Pollution Control Board, and Rajat Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, for their continued engagement and for providing a platform for constructive dialogue with the industry. We value the Ministry’s and CPCB’s efforts towards addressing the concerns of the real estate sector and improving the environmental clearance process. CREDAI and its members are not seeking any relaxation in compliance requirements or any dilution of environmental norms. We are only seeking a reduction in the timelines for obtaining Environmental Clearance (EC) approvals across the country, which will significantly contribute to improving the ease of doing business and enabling the timely execution of real estate projects.”
During the workshop, the ministry reaffirmed several regulatory provisions, including phase-wise Consent to Establish (CTE) aligned with project schedules and the integration of CTE requirements directly into the EC application process. Officials clarified that design changes not increasing built-up area or pollution load do not require fresh EC amendments. Additionally, to avoid delays caused by non-functional state authorities, a Standing Committee will oversee Category-B appraisals. Litigation-stalled periods before courts or the NCLT will be treated as a “zero period” when calculating EC validity, and duplicate presentations before state authorities after committee appraisal have been eliminated.
The ministry noted that quarterly review meetings are being held to monitor state-level approval timelines. CREDAI acknowledged that joint efforts have reduced average EC processing times from 120 days to 57 days, while urging authorities to further streamline the timeframe to 45 days. The association pledged to continue collaborating with central and state authorities to strengthen environmental governance and business operations.
