The delay in setting up a permanent campus for IIT Mandi due to land unavailability will be a thing of the past. The Environment Ministry on Friday cleared the diversion of 308 acres of forest land for the IIT, which will specialise in "environmentally-sound infrastructure development for the Himalayan region."

The Himachal Pradesh Government will now have to submit a compliance report before the final forest clearance is given. As a part of the compliance, the claims under the forest rights act will need to be settled. The clearance was given after the state government reworked its proposal to reduce the forest area that was required.