STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Pawan Gupta MLA Udhampur on Saturday demanded compliance of Forest Act and Wildlife Protection Act besides Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act in executing works in the Forest Department.
While taking debate on Budget demand for Forest Department in the Assembly, Pawan Gupta sought clarification from the Forest Minister whether he wants to introduce the compensatory Afforestation Fund Act in J&K also to enable the proper utilisation of funds being received from the central government to accomplish the object of compensatory afforestation against deforestation with due compliance to the proper provisions of the Act so introduced at Centre.
While appreciating the efforts of Government in revision of the zoo project of Jammu from Rs. 75 crore to Rs. 120 crore, he demanded that the project should be cleared at the earliest and work should also be executed on war footing. However, he advised that before doing so all codal formalities should be carried out by executing the work only through engineering technocrats and the process of proper tendering system should be adopted preferably through PWD Department. He also raised a query whether the proposed zoo at Udhampur has been recognized by the competent authority as required under section 37-C of the Wild Protection Act apart from clearance from the State Board for Wildlife, which is mandatory under Section 5. He also sought information about the date on which the report of this board was placed on the table of the House. He further sought the clarification as to how terrace cutting worth Rs. 1.73 crores has been executed as figured in section of press. “In case of deviations committed in codal formalities, proper responsibility should be fixed”, he demanded.
Citing the fact that last year Forest Minister had laid foundation stone for establishment of Gangera Hills Forest Park which according to Minister was schedule to be completed within a period of 1½ months, Pawan Gupta said that no work has been done on ground giving bad name to Government. He demanded that funds should be released immediately to complete the work without any further delay.
Pawan Gupta expressed concern that Forest Department is carrying out work on plantation of strips only on National Highways abdicating its obligation of plantation to denude hills and thus objective of afforestation is being defeated besides plantation on national highway strips is causing avoidable inconvenience to locals by depriving them the right of easement because of the fencing being made in their right to way. He further demanded early forest clearance of pending cases for road construction and tackling monkey menace. “Quality control is another area which needs proper focus”, he asserted.
Although proper reply on serious concerns raised by Gupta were expected but the concerned Minister evaded the same.
