Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 17: Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad today asked the Forest authorities to ensure that the development projects may not suffer for want of forest clearance and directed them to dispose all such cases in a time bound manner.
He asked officers of Forest Department to work sincerely to meet their bona-fide responsibilities and extend every support to the district administration in taking forward the development projects coming up in their respective districts.
The Minister was reviewing the status of forest clearance process of various developmental projects of district Kupwara at an officers meeting here today.
Minister for CA&PD, Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, Principal Chief Conservator Forests, Chief Wildlife Warden, Chief Engineer, PMGSY, Kashmir, Chief Engineer, I&FC, Kashmir, Chief Conservator Forests, Kashmir, MD, SFC, Director Soil Conservation, Director FTF, Director Social Forestry and senior officers of other departments were also present in the meeting.
The meeting was informed that five schemes for construction of storage tanks have been approved under AIBP for Kupwara district and the cases for forest clearance stands submitted to Forest Department. The I&FC has received clearance of Ridden Sar Storage tank Kralpora, while forest clearance of Rangwar, Baba Muqam and Syed Sheeraz schemes are awaited with Forest Department, the meeting was told.
It was further informed that the survey of the sites selected for these projects were conducted jointly by Forest Department, Irrigation Department and other concerned departments. In case of Meeliyal Storage tank, the survey is yet to be conducted, it was informed.
In R&B sector, it was informed that joint survey of Waddar-Bangus road has been conducted, while joint survey of Drangyari-Bangus and Gagal link road is yet to be conducted. Regarding construction of Zurhama-Jumgund road, it was revealed that work on the road has not been started so far as the trees identified have not been cut as yet.
Earlier, Ch. Ramzan raised the issues of construction of SFC office, renovation of Environment Centre, repairs of BO Hut in Kandi, construction of Environment Park, declaring Machipora as wildlife sanctuary, besides establishment of separate Forest Circle in the district.
The Deputy Commissioner was asked to identify land for construction of SFC office at Kupwara, while the forests department was asked to take up necessary repairs of Environment Centre, BO Hut at Kandi.
Emphasizing upon the officers to closely monitor the field works, the Minister directed them to ensure protection of forest cover and Forest land in the district.
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