State seeks more forest land for irrigation project

The Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik has sought the Centre's approval for clearance of additional forest land of 142.7 hectares for the Upper Jonk Irrigation Project in the state's Nuapada district.

The matter was raised by Patnaik during his meeting with Jairam Ramesh, the Union minister of state for environment and forests on Thursday.

Patnaik also requested the Union minister to arrange funding support for implementation of three projects. These projects include Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan, Catchment Area Treatment of Upper Indravati Multipurpose Project and Catchment Area Treatment of Upper Kolab Hydro-Electric Project being up at a cost of Rs 135 crore, Rs 279 crore and Rs 138 crore respectively.

Patnaik also asked Ramesh to permit the use of 52 acres of forest land by the Biju Patnaik State Policy Academy, Bhubaneswar, to train the police officers in jungle warfare for dealing with the extremists and insurgents.

The land is located next to the police academy and is ideally suited for such training.

Patnaik has also suggested to the Union minister to set up a National Research Institute for Management of Wetlands and Coastal Ecosystems at Chilika. At present, there is no dedicated research centre on this environmentally important topic. He pointed out that the infrastructure created at Chandraput and the expertise available with the Chilika Development Authority can be extremely useful in starting such a national institute.

The Union minister welcomed the proposal and asked the officials of his ministry to jointly work with the officials of the Orissa government to formulate the plan.

The Orissa chief minister also underscored the need for setting up a National Mangrove Research Institute in the state which can help prevent the damage caused by natural disasters like cyclones and tsunamis.