Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday expressed happiness over the judgement of Supreme Court for approving 605 projects involving an area of 685.58 hectares cleared under FCA (Forest Conservation Act, 1980) and FRA (The Forest Rights Act FRA, 2006) but could not be executed.
The Chief Minister said that out of these 605 projects, the Supreme Court has permitted FCA clearances to 138 projects which include 20 electric projects, 88 road projects, five each of drinking water and other projects, three bus stand projects, two each of degree colleges, treasury office buildings and sewerage treatment plants and one each of IIT Kamand, School, Car Parking, Sub Market Yard, Police Post, Gau Sadan, Ropeway Manali, Helipad, Shiv Dham Mandi and bridge.
Apart from this, the Supreme Court had also permitted 465 projects under FRA which include 334 road projects, 53 schools, 20 community centres, 18 drinking water supply and water pipeline, 13 tank and other minor water bodies, 10 dispensaries or hospitals, 7 anganwaris, 6 skill upgradation or vocational training centres, and one each fair price shop, electric and tele/line, minor irrigation channel and water or raining water harvesting structure, he said.
The Chief Minister has thanked the Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being considerate towards developmental aspirations of the people of the state and effectively taking up the issue before the Apex Court.
He said the State Government had also emphatically pleaded the case before the Court to remove the hurdles in way of development of the state.
The Chief Minister further said that all these projects were held up for long and the same could not be proceeded on account of directions contained in the order dated March 11, 2019 of Apex Court.
He said that now the Supreme Court vide order dated February 15, 2021 has permitted to execute 138 projects for which approval has been given by the Central Government under FCA and also permitted to execute 465 projects under FRA.
Some of the major projects are Rs 1337 crore Green Corridor National Highway Sirmour and two lane National Highway 20A (new NH 503) Dharamshala worth Rs 61.48 crore sanctioned by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, he added.
Thakur said that the Supreme Court has also accorded approval for construction of 66 KV line Sainj Sub Station to Lastadhar worth Rs 56.36 crore, upgradation of existing 33/11 KV Sub Station Nadaun worth Rs 12.54 crore, Rs 19.31 crore scheme for setting up of 2 MV Solar PV Kaza, construction of Rs 2.07 crore 33/11 KV Talyar Mandi, Rs 6.74 crore construction of 33/11 KV unmanned Sub Station Manali.
The Chief Minister said that the Court has also cleared projects of HP Power Transmission Corporation Limited worth Rs 338.31 crore. These projects are Rs 31.73 crore 66 KV D/C line from Nirmand to Kotla Sub Station, Rs 11.97 crore 132 KV transmission line Kurthala-Bathar to Majara, Rs 66.47 crore 220/132/33 KV Sub Station at Andheri (Kala Amb), Rs 119.58 crore 220 KV Transmission line from Dehan to Hamirpur and Rs 108. 58 crore 66/220 KV Heiling Sub Station at Laha.
The approval from Supreme Court has also paved way for construction of Rs 46.80 crore Dhaulasidh Hydro Electric Project. Various projects of the Education Department worth Rs 142.67 crore have also been accorded approval by the Apex Court, he added.
The Chief Minister said that several projects of Municipal Corporation Shimla, Animal Husbandry, Transport, Health, Ayurveda and Election Department worth about Rs 20 crore have also been cleared. The ambitious Shiv Dham project of the Tourism Department at Mandi had also been cleared by the Apex Court.