Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu yesterday said that the state government was making concerted efforts to fast-track the clearance of cases under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and the Forest Rights Act (FRA) to ensure timely implementation of development projects.
He said that due to the state government’s persistent efforts, the Union Government had granted 66 FCA clearances for projects of significant public interest. “These projects cover vital sectors such as infrastructure, education and water supply. Besides, the state has also secured 77 in-principle approvals from the Central Government, paving the way for the Shongtong and Thana Plaun power projects, educational institutions, heliports, water supply schemes and road projects,” he added.
Sukhu said that many such cases had been pending for years, but were now being expedited. “District-level committees under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner, Divisional Forest Officer and representatives of the user agency concerned for monitoring the progress on the FCA and FRA cases for clearance have been constituted,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that to ensure better coordination, proper scrutiny of cases and liaison with the Central Government, the state government had deputed a senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer to expedite the cases.
He said, “Around 70 per cent area of Himachal Pradesh is forest and the requirement of forestland for public interest projects is unavoidable. Therefore, getting forest clearances to implement such projects is crucial for the development of the state but these invariably get delayed.”
The Chief Minister said that the state government was committed to maintaining a balance between environment conservation and development for the benefit of the people of the state. The state government had launched various forestry schemes to further increase the forest cover, he added.