Forest department to set up nodal unit to speed up project clearances: Minister Aravind Limbavali

In a bid to address delays in securing forest clearances for various projects of the government, a nodal unit will come up in the forest department to speed up the process.

In the Legislative Assembly recently, legislators gave suggestions to depute one official in each department to follow up on works kept pending due to forest clearances.

The proposal to establish a separate nodal unit for forest clearances was announced by Forest Minister Aravind Limbavali.

Earlier, Mahantesh Koujalagi (Congress) had pulled up the government for failing to complete the Chachadi lift irrigation project sanctioned in 2007. Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, responding on behalf of CM B S Yediyurappa, said that a majority of the works was complete.

The government has also offered 3.92 acres of land to compensate for the forest land lost for the irrigation project, he said.

Koujalagi questioned why there was a delay of 16-17 years to grant forest clearances for developmental projects, during which Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri intervened with a suggestion. "One official should be deputed in each of the government departments to follow up on projects that are pending due to forest clearances," he said.

Several other legislators echoed the same sentiment, adding that undue delay in forest clearances had brought several projects to a stand-still.

Limbavali said the government is aware of such issues.