Centre's panel gives nod to road widening from Pathankot to Kullu

A panel constituted by the Environment Ministry has given its nod to a road widening project from Pathankot to Kullu on the condition that it will involve minimum felling of trees.

A Regional Empowered Committee (REC), formed by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, granted the Stage-1 approval to the project, asking the Public Works Department (PWD), the proposer, to deposit with it the Net Present Value of the forest land being diverted for non-forestry purpose.

The project requires diversion of 7.67 hectare of protected forest land, the panel noted.

"Legal status of the forest land will remain unchanged. Efforts should be made to fell minimum number of trees. The trees should be felled under strict supervision of the state forest department," the REC said, adding that no damage should be done to the adjoining forest land.

Clearance under the Forest Conservation (FC) Act, is granted in two stages.

While in Stage-I, the proposal is agreed to in-principle in which usually compensatory afforestation, funds for raising compensatory afforestation thereof, realisation of Net Present Value (NPV) of forest are stipulated and after receipt of compliance report from the state government in respect of the stipulated conditions, formal approval under the FC Act is issued.

The in-principle agreement and formal approval under the FC Act are commonly referred to as stage-I and stage-II approval under the FC Act respectively.

"The User Agency (PWD) shall raise strip plantation on both sides and central verge of the road at the project cost with maintenance of seven to ten years," the panel directed while approving the project.

The PWD, in its proposal, had submitted that the proposed alignment does not pass through any national park or wildlife sanctuary and involves felling of 1,537 trees. It said that compensatory afforestation has been proposed at 15.34 ha in Pathankot.