Sukhbir meets Javadekar to discuss use of farm land in PLPA

To remove hardships being faced by farmers in making commercial use of their agricultural land in Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) areas, the state's Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today urged Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to waive off conditions by Centre over such areas which are under habitation and cultivation.
Badal met Javadekar here and stressed that there was nothing coming in the way of developing such areas as per law.
Javedkar assured Badal that he will decide on the matter within a month and asked officers concerned to come up with a proposal in this regard, according to a press release.

Badal also sought to notify ecological sensitive areas around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary in Chandigarh as the state has already forwarded a proposal for notification of eco sensitive zones (ESZ) around 13 wildlife sanctuaries to the environment ministry.
He informed the Union minister that this proposal was in accordance with recommendation of central empowered committee of Supreme Court, which has recommended 100 mt ESZ around protected areas.
He also urged that habitants of village Kansal should not be further burdened by restrictions imposed under ESZ in one km width. Badal told that Punjab had already discussed the ESZ matter with UT and Haryana.

The deputy CM urged to provide exemption to Punjab from Forests Act, 2006 for seeking clearance certificate from Deputy Commissioner concerned to the effect of rights of scheduled tribes or traditional forest dwellers in respect of forest areas to be developed.

He contended that there is no population belonging to the scheduled tribes or other traditional tribes in the state as per the census report of the Union government.
Javadekar asked the state to resolve this issue at its own by publication of public notices.
Badal also suggested to the Union Minister to adopt State Forest Research Institute, Ludhiana as a sub-centre of Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun for promotion of agro forestry in the region as well as Northern states.

He said a state institute was being setup in collaboration with the FRI as a centre of excellence in agro- forestry research and extension services. Javadekar promised to look into the proposal and decide the matter after meeting with administrators concerned of the institute.