FAC approves use of 12.35 hectares of forestland for project
Srinagar, Dec 16 : After the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) gave its go-ahead for an air defence and weaponry project in Gulmarg, the Jammu and Kashmir government’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has also given its nod to the proposal.
Official documents in possession of wire service—, reveal that FAC headed by Chief Secretary B.V.R Subrahmanyam has approved diversion of forestland for the project during its meeting here. The project was cleared by the FAC on October 03 during its meeting at civil secretariat here.
The Forest Advisory Committee is the competent body to approve use of forestland for non- forestry purposes. According to minutes of FAC meeting, the panel approved diversion of 1.18 hectare of sanctuary land and 12. 35 hectares of forestland for establishment of IAF project at Gulmarg.
Estimated at Rs 300 crore, the project is part of the national defence modernization plan aimed to ‘enhance air defence capability in the mountainous terrain of northern and eastern part of the country.
Before J&K government’s clearance, the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) cleared the project during its meeting on July 18 with 17 riders and conditions. The meeting of NBWL was chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar.
The riders include that the proprietary and legal status of the protected area shall remain unchanged, NPV (Net Present Value) shall be charged in accordance with Supreme Court orders, the user agency shall pay 5 per cent of the estimated cost of the project to the J&K Wildlife Protection Department for conservation and preservation of wildlife and habitat.
According to minutes of NBWL meeting, it was decided that a wildlife conservation plan should be prepared by the Chief Wildlife warden and implemented in cooperation with army authorities to mitigate the impact of the project. (KNO)
