CUHP, road projects delayed for want of forest clearance

lit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 20

More than 32 major projects in Kangra district are stuck for want of environment clearances. These projects include the Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) campus, major road projects in the district and the construction of various government buildings.

About 600 kanal forestland has to be transferred in the name of the CUHP in the Jadrangal area of Dharamsala where the main campus of the university is to come up. The case for transfer of land has been lingering with the state forest officials for the past more than two years.

Even Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had expressed displeasure over the fact that the case for transfer of forest land for CUHP campus in Jadrangal has not even been processed by state forest officials.

He had pulled up the officials for not sending the case to the Union Ministry for Environment for clearance. The authorities of CUHP have also been repeatedly writing to the state government for early processing of the case.

Sources here said that an investment of about Rs 400 crores that was to be made on construction of CUHP campus at Dharamsala and Dehra was struck due to lack of forest clearance of Jadrangal land.

The sources here said that the forest clearance was a major bottleneck in construction of many roads in Kangra district, especially in rural areas.

Minister for Forests Rakesh Pathania, when asked, said that after taking over as minister for forest, he has expedited the case for forest clearance for CUHP campus. He said the case would be sent to the Union Ministry for Environment by next week.

“I will make efforts that the clearance for transfer of forest land for CUHP campus at Jadrangal was given within the next three months,” he said.

Pathania said that he had made a committee headed by DC Kangra, Rakesh Prajapati to identity all the projects, clearance for which was pending with the forest department.

“The committee would regularly review and monitor the progress of clearance to be given for various projects. My direction to the officials is that they should not keep pondering over the files. They should clear these at the earliest,” Pathania said.

Since most of the common land in Kangra district has been converted into forest land to bring up any project, the government departments have to seek clearances from the Union Ministry for Forest and Environment.

At times, these permissions take lot of time that inordinately delay projects. People residing in wildlife sanctuaries are worst hit as even the roads to their villages have not been constructed for want of permission of the Forest Department.