New Delhi : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday ticked off the environment ministry for making a "mess" of granting forest clearance to industries, accusing it of keeping companies waiting for at least two-three years. In strong observations during the hearing of arguments in the matter of Posco's Rs 51,000-crore mega steel project in Odisha, the NGT said the whole process of granting permission has been made complex by ministry and wondered this will help in sustainable development. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also questioned the concept of two-stage forest clearance which is granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to industries. It asked the ministry how the concept is in conformity with the Forest Conservation Act, noting "the Act does not contemplate two stages of clearance". The tribunal also brushed aside the MoEF's contentions that the guidelines have been issued to promote the object of the Act and that the concept of two stage clearance was evolved for administrative purposes.