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Green belt requirements by state

Your State Pollution Control Board issues your consent under a different statute from the one that governs your environmental clearance — so two green belt figures can bind the same plot at once. Where they differ, the stricter one governs in practice, because consent renewal is where non-compliance actually bites.

Boards we have read directly

5 of 28 states · reviewed 12 August 2026

State pollution control board green belt consent conditions compared against the memorandum of 29 October 2025
StateStanding consent conditionUnder the 2025 memorandumWhich binds you
MaharashtraMPCB33% of open available landSchedule-IV general conditions, Consent to Operate25% standalone Redair-polluting sectorConflictBoard condition is stricter than the OM and still stands
Tamil NaduTNPCB25% of land areaBoard directive; photographs and coordinates required as evidence25% standalone Redair-polluting sectorAlignedMatches the OM figure for a standalone Red unit
HaryanaHSPCB40% where feasibleConsent to Establish; off-site avenue plantation accepted in lieu25% standalone Redair-polluting sectorStricterOff-site route available, which the OM also now permits
GujaratGPCB33% via consent conditionsFive-year aftercare; forest department consultation25% standalone Redair-polluting sectorConflictVerify with your regional officer before relying on the OM
TelanganaGHMCSapling count by plot size6 saplings up to 1,000 m², plus 2 for every additional 100 m²25% standalone Redair-polluting sectorDifferent basisCounts saplings rather than area — not comparable to a %

What projects are actually committing to

The clearest evidence that the old figure still governs is what operators write in their own filings. These are read directly from filed documents.

Read these across sectors with care. A percentage of a factory plot and a percentage of a mining lease are not the same measurement — a lease is mostly the mineral body, which is why mine figures sit so much lower without necessarily indicating under-compliance.

Dahanu Thermal Power Station, clinker grinding unit

32.5% → 35.5%
Operator
Adani Power Limited
Location
Agwan, Dahanu, Palghar, Maharashtra
Sector
Thermal power and cement
Plant area
351.58 ha
Green belt
114.13 ha existing, rising to 124.82 ha

The filing states the intent to exceed “the 33 % area”, and commits 50.4% of the new grinding unit's own 21.20 ha footprint to plantation. Filed after the October 2025 memorandum reduced the national tiers — evidence that 33% remains the operative planning benchmark in Maharashtra. The site also sits inside the Dahanu Taluka Ecologically Fragile Area, a separate overlay from the critically polluted area regime.

Source: Pre-Feasibility Report, amendment to environmental clearance, 500 MW Dahanu Thermal Power Station

Rain Cements limestone mine, capacity enhancement

6.3% → 7.9%
Operator
Rain Cements Limited
Location
Revoor and Mellacheruvu, Suryapet, Telangana
Sector
Limestone mining
Plant area
417.95 ha mine lease
Green belt
26.26 ha developed, 6.57 ha further proposed

Far below the figures quoted for factory sites, and a caution against comparing the two. A mining lease is mostly the mineral body itself, so a percentage of lease area measures something quite different from a percentage of a plant plot. Afforestation runs at 2,000 saplings a year, with topsoil laid as the plantation bed. Monitoring is against CPCB and TSPCB guidelines.

Source: Draft EIA report, Chapter 11 — Summary and Conclusion, prepared by VIMTA Labs

Khairulabad Limestone Mine

0%
Operator
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited
Location
Khairulabad, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu
Sector
Limestone mining
Plant area
2.25 ha lease
Green belt
Nil on site

The land use table records green belt area as zero at every stage, because the entire 2.25 ha lease is the mine pit — the filing states the lease is compact and contiguous with adjoining leases, so a belt is not developed independently. The obligation is met instead through plantation of about 2,200 trees at 1,500 trees per hectare, phased at 500 a year against a 90% survival target, under Divisional Forest Officer guidance. A useful illustration that a small site with no spare land still carries the obligation — it simply moves off the plot.

Source: Environmental Impact Assessment report, Khairulabad Limestone Mine, Ariyalur

Coromandel Limestone Mine, Chilamkur unit

~25%
Operator
India Cements Limited
Location
Chilamkur, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh
Sector
Limestone mining and cement
Plant area
602.14 ha mining lease
Green belt
146.25 ha over the lease period, 182.95 ha over the life of mine

Counts toward the belt: a 7.5 m safety zone along the entire lease boundary, 105 m either side of the railway line crossing the lease (68.28 ha), roadside planting, and reclaimed backfilled areas. 145,000 plants proposed against 12,900 already established over 11.08 ha. Species drawn from CPCB's guidance for cement plants.

Source: Wildlife Conservation Plan, Chapter 6 — Greenbelt Development, 2020-21 to 2028-29

Dalla Cement Works expansion

37% → 41.7%
Operator
UltraTech Cement Ltd.
Location
Dalla, Sonebhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Sector
Cement
Plant area
67.0 ha
Green belt
25.0 ha existing, rising to 27.92 ha

53,000 saplings at 2,120 per hectare, being raised to 2,500 per hectare by gap filling. Budget of ₹110 lakh across existing and proposed work, about ₹3.94 lakh per hectare. Sonebhadra is a critically polluted area, which is consistent with the 40% figure.

Source: Greenbelt Development & Plantation Programme, Dalla Cement Works

States we have not yet verified

We only publish a board’s position once we have read its consent conditions ourselves. For the states below we have not done that yet, so we say nothing rather than assume the memorandum applies cleanly. If you hold a recent consent letter from one of them, we would genuinely like to see it.

  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Rajasthan
  • Karnataka
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • West Bengal
  • Punjab
  • Odisha
  • Kerala
  • Chhattisgarh
  • Jharkhand
  • Bihar
  • Uttarakhand
  • Assam
  • Goa
  • Himachal Pradesh
Send us a consent letter →

Common questions

Which green belt requirement applies, the state board's or the memorandum's?

Both can apply at once, because they come from different regulators under different statutes. The MoEF&CC memorandum governs environmental clearance conditions; your Consent to Operate is issued by the State Pollution Control Board under the Water and Air Acts. In practice the stricter of the two governs, because consent renewal is the enforcement point at which non-compliance actually bites.

Which states still require 33% green belt?

Maharashtra's board retains a standing condition requiring a minimum of 33% of open available land under plantation in its Consent to Operate general conditions, and Gujarat applies 33% through consent conditions. Both predate the memorandum of 29 October 2025 and have not been amended in line with it.

Can off-site plantation satisfy a state green belt condition?

In some states, yes. Haryana's board has accepted off-site avenue plantation and social forestry in lieu where on-site area is constrained. The 2025 memorandum also permits ex-situ plantation in collaboration with State Forest Departments, Urban Local Bodies or other government agencies. Confirm the position with your own regional officer before relying on it.

Not sure which figure your board will hold you to? Send your consent letter and clearance conditions and we will reconcile them.

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