With the recent concerns surrounding the Malolo development and an Environmental Impact Assessment, the Ministry is conducting a nationwide consultation.

Permanent Secretary Joshua Wycliffe says the round table allows businesses and academia to pose questions on the EIA process.

Wycliffe says in many incidents, applicants have failed to understand the procedures undertaken to obtain an EIA.

“One of those things that happen and a lot of complaints that come to my desk I have seen the clock in the mind of the proponent starts ticking the day they come to the counter and say come please and look at my project and see whether I need to do an EIA. That is called a screening process. The processing does not start until the application is submitted.”

Wycliffe says most of the delays in an EIA is due to incomplete paperwork.

He says there is a dedicated team which oversees the application before it is processed.

The next round table discussion will be held in Labasa tomorrow following a session in Savusavu on Wednesday.