The Uttarakhand government is grappling with a critical land shortage for compensatory plantations, jeopardizing the progress of vital road and infrastructure projects across the state.

The situation has left the state government in a state of perplexity, as key proposals for roads connecting remote villages to the state`s borders hang in the balance.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has recently brought this pressing issue to the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging for intervention. The state`s dilemma stems from the Forest Conservation and Promotion Rules and Guidelines, which, since 2023, prohibit compensatory plantations on notified reserved and protected forest land. This marks a departure from the 2017 guidelines that permitted such activities on forest land, a provision the state government now seeks to have reinstated.

Without the central government’s permission to use forest land for compensatory plantations, many of Uttarakhand’s crucial infrastructure projects face indefinite delays. The government argues that the state`s unique geographical challenges and strategic significance necessitate a reversion to the 2017 guidelines to ensure that development can proceed without further hindrances.

Himalayan Live Bureau

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