Punjab Forest and Wildlife Protection Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on Sunday made it clear that the Punjab land Protection Act (PlPA), 1900, would come in handy for putting a stop to the loss of forestry owing to the erosion of soil in the Shivalik Hill ranges in the State.
This Act would also protect the wildlife, he said.
Dharamsot clarified that as per the notifications of the Punjab Government, dated August 31, 1899, November 15, 1900, November 22, 1900, and November 29, 1900, the Punjab land Protection (Choes) Act, 1900, was framed with the purpose to protect certain regions adjoining Shivalik hills from choes or hill torrents flowing through the forests and thus ensuring their protection.
He said that the Punjab Government, in the gazette of 1900, has stated that the PlPA is framed with the intention of stopping extinction of forests because of deforestation.
“In accordance with the gazette dated August 3, 1905, the Punjab land Protection (Choes) Act, 1900, is very effective in a localized and limited area whose purpose is to stop loss of forestry, focusing on a forestation and besides this, securing villages adjoining Shivalik hills from onslaught of choes.
Dharamsot said that the notification clearly specifies the restrictions which are necessary for protecting maintenance and safe keeping of forests as per which the report pertaining to 32,208 acres area under forest in 1980, 14,234 hectares in 2003, 14,154 in 2009 and 13,997 in 2011 was sent to the Department.
He said that the Congress Government has got delisted 56,000 acre land, which was under cultivation and residential, thus giving a major relief to the people.
Dharamsot said that whereas on one side, today the international community is concerned about global warming, pollution, depleting level of water, environmental changes, on the other, the BJP leader Vineet Joshi is playing politics at the behest of land mafia and doesn't want the extinction of forests and environmental pollution trend to stop.
“BJP is devoid of issues which is why its leaders are indulging in issuing senseless statements and using kandi area farmers as pawns,” he said.
