Chief Minister Harish Rawat has requested that the Central Government to reconsider the decision of making 100 kilometres stretch of the Bhagirathi river from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi an eco-sensitive zone. Rawat has also sought between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 crore under the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority(CAMPA) for tackling the rising human-wildlife conflict in the State. The CM made these and other requests to the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar during his Dehradun visit on Saturday.
Addressing the media after his meeting with Javadekar, the CM said that the permission granted to the State for according forest clearance related to ongoing projects up to five hectares in area should include all projects and the MoEFCC office for this purpose should start functioning in Dehradun soon to facilitate timely forest clearance. The CM also demanded that the condition for facilitating land in compensation for developmental works be removed in the case of Uttarakhand considering the scarcity of land in the State. Stating that quarrying in rivers passing through forest areas is needed to prevent floods and other problems during the rainy season, the CM also sought permission for this from the Centre.
