Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 21: Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) headed by Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam in its 118th meeting held here today, cleared 23 proposals regarding use of 60.2 ha hectares of forest land for various projects of public importance in the road, drinking water and power sectors on specified terms and conditions.
Financial Commissioner Revenue, Principal Secretary Planning Development & Monitoring Department, Commissioner/Secretary Forest, Ecology & Environment Department, Commissioner/ Secretary, PDD, Commissioner/ Secretary, PHE and I&FC, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests J&K, J&K, Chief Wildlife Warden, J&K, Chief Conservator of Forests/ Member Secretary FAC, other senior officers of Forest and PMGSY and representatives of User Agencies participated in the meeting.
The proposals cleared today include use of 60.2 ha of forest land for additional land for station building and circulating area at Reasi on Katra section of USBRL Project by Northern Railway, re-alignment of 132 KV D/C Chenani Srinagar Transmission Line and Construction of 33/11 KV, 6.3 MVA Receiving Station at Village Nomain Block Katra by PDD, construction of MGD Rapid Sand Filtration plant at Andoo Pushroo by PHE, construction of road from Laiter Devak Hathal in Nowshera by PWD (R&B), various road proposals under PMGSY in Anantnag, Jammu, Udhampur, Baramulla, Mahore, Nowshera, Ramnagar, and other critical infrastructure.
While reiterating the directions on ensuring bare minimum felling of trees, undertaking compensatory afforestation over alternate land in lieu of diversion of forest land and observance of other conditions, Chief Secretary asked the Forest Department to ensure that the Monitoring Committees constituted for the purpose closely monitor the works being undertaken in the forest areas to ensure preservation of flora, fauna and undertaking afforestration activities.
Chief Secretary also reiterated that user agencies should ensure that saplings coming in the alignment of the projects are transplanted on time to degraded forest areas and monitored closely till their maturity into trees.
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