Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 8: The Forest Advisory Committee headed by Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey today discussed and approved several proposal for allowing use of forest land coming under various developmental and connectivity projects in various forest divisions of the State.
The Committee gave forest clearance for 2 MW Khari MHP in Ramban Forest Division with the direction from the Chief Secretary to JAKEDA and State Level Monitoring Committee to monitor on regular basis the muck disposal and its eco stabilization besides ensuring dumping at the designated sites.
The Committee also approved use of forest land for construction of road from Bamayala to Kantha in Nowshera Forest Division, Banjian to Motta in Billawar Forest Division, Bathera to Ghawan in Rajouri Forest Division besides giving forest clearance to the 375 m Passenger Ropeway Project of SMVDSB Katra in Reasi Forest Division.
“Any violation or deviation observed in the approved action plan must be immediately reported and necessary corrective measures taken”, Mr Khandey stressed. He said any person or agency that causes loss or damage to forests or takes up any construction work in the forest area without proper forest clearance must be dealt with strictly and prosecuted as per the provisions of the J&K Forest (Conservation) Act.
Financial Commissioner, Revenue, Dr. Arun Kumar, Principal Secretary, Planning, B. R. Sharma, Principal Secretary, Finance, B. B. Vyas, Commissioner Secretary, Science and Technology, Bipul Pathak, Commissioner Secretary, R&B, Tanveer Jahan, Secretary Forest, Mohammad Afzal Bhat, Chief Wildlife Warden, A. K. Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Abhai Kumar and other senior officers attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, Mr Khandey chaired the State Level Standing Committee (SLSC) meeting to review and approve the implementation plan of RGGVY Phase-II in Jammu and Kashmir.
RGGVY is a scheme of Rural Electricity Infrastructure and Household Electrification with an objective of providing access to electricity to all rural households.
The scheme also provides for installing sub-stations and distribution transformers of appropriate capacity to set up new or augmenting the existing rural electricity infrastructure.
Under RGGVY-II over 2.5 lakh un-electrified rural households and 11000 habitations spread across all districts of the State are to be covered besides completing any spill over work of projects under RGGVY-I.
Principal Secretary PDD A. K. Mehta informed the Committee that RGGVY Phase-I is being successfully closed district wise in the state besides for the implementation of Phase-II under the scheme funds to the tune of over Rs 1300 crore have been approved by the Union Government.
Principal Secretary, Planning, B. R. Sharma, Principal Secretary, Finance, B. B. Vyas, and other senior officers attended the meeting.
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