Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 24: In what could be the testimony of anti-Jammu stance, the Forest Department is hell bent to scuttle Patnitop aerial ropeway, as it did not place the project report before the 86th meeting of the Forest Advisory Committee held at Civil Secretariat today despite the fact that the project has already received all the mandatory clearances.
Instead of giving the much-delayed last push to the project, the Forest Department has created more hurdles by way of directing Patnitop Development Authority to carry out some exercises afresh without any logical reasons especially when the project has already been cleared by the Apex Court of the country.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that the Patnitop aerial ropeway project could not be discussed in the 86th Forest Advisory Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey today as Forest Department had not placed the record of the project before the panel.
Though some other proposals for allowing use of forest land coming in the alignment of various roads and other developmental projects received the approval of the Forest Advisory Committee yet not even discussion could take place on the much-delayed Patnitop aerial ropeway project because Forest Department had deliberately kept the project out of the agenda, sources said.
Stating that the stand taken by the Forest Department clearly established its anti-Jammu approach, sources said, “it seems that there are some black-sheep in this department, who don’t want this ambitious project to see the light of the day”. This can be gauged from the fact that earlier there was an excuse of the file pertaining to the project getting damaged in the September floods and now some unwarranted steps have been recommended.
“Despite being aware of the fact that all the mandatory clearance for the project have already been obtained and even Supreme Court has put its seal of approval on the passenger aerial ropeway, the Forest Department has asked for obtaining fresh indent of the forest land which will come up under the project, sources said.
“There was, however, no justification for this as area of the forest land to be used for the project will remain same notwithstanding the increase in the height of the towers as recommended by the Apex Court”, they said.
In this way, the Forest Department has created fresh hurdles in the start of work on much-delayed Patnitop aerial ropeway, which was otherwise dream project of two former Chief Ministers of the State-Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had cleared the project in the Board of Directors meeting of Patnitop Development Authority and laid the foundation stone during their respective tenure.
When contacted, Secretary, Forest Department, Afzal Bhat said, “there was no question of placing the project before Forest Advisory Committee as some components of the project have to be revised especially when Supreme Court has recommended increase in the height of the ropeway”.
“When the PDA comes up with the revised project and documents, we will carry out joint inspection and based on the report of this inspection decision would be taken about placement of project before the Forest Advisory Committee”, he added.
However, sources contested the stand of the Forest Secretary and said, “increase in height of towers cannot be associated with the acquisition of forest land, which otherwise would remain same as was earlier mentioned”.
“In view of fresh directions issued by the Forest Department, the Patnitop Development Authority would have to start exercise of obtaining indent of the forest land afresh from the Range Officer level to the Central Office of the Forest Department”, they said while questioning the intentions of the Forest Department towards the ambitious project.
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