As many as 19 development related projects remain pending in Champawat due to delay in granting forest land clearance by the forest department. Multiplicity of authority seems to have only delayed the forest land transfer process hitting various development works in the district.
Out of the aforesaid 19 development projects in Champawat which remain pending due to delay in forest land clearance, four forest land transfer matters are pending at the Government of India level, while four such forest land transfer matters are lying before the nodal officer level, said B S Jeena, SDO, Champawat.
Besides, as many as 11 such forest land transfer matters are pending before the department level, he added. Though the Government of India has also stressed on the need to ensure timely clearance of the forest related matters, as many as 19 developmental projects still remain pending for a long time in Champawat following delay in granting land clearance by the forest department.
However, the officials concerned of the forest divisions have claimed that efforts are on to ensure early clearance of the said land transfer cases. But the matter of fact is that a majority of the pending developmental workers are related to construction of roads in the Champawat district. The pending road works include the Bikhral to Mantande Road, the Marorakhan to Dayartoli letichara Bans Road, the Timlagoonth to Pipaldhang Road, the Almora-Ghat Road, Sukhidhang-Dandamidar Road and Khatoli Malli to Vaila Road to name a few.
Besides, out of the said pending developmental projects, two proposals in regard to setting up of outposts by the SSB at Chamigarh and Purnagiri are also pending in the district Champawat due to the same reasons of delay in granting clearance for forest land use by the forest department concerned, the officials concerned said. At the same time, the pending developmental projects also include the road widening woks between Gumod -Barakot on the Tankapur- Tawaghat Road and Dhaun to Gumod Road in which works have not yet been started due to the same delay in giving clearance by the forest department.
Meanwhile, the Champawat district administration has also stressed on the need to ensure early settlements of the forest land matters for carrying out ongoing developmental works on time. All the formalities like forest land clearance by the department concerned must be completed on priority basis keeping in view the larger public interest, said Deependra Kumar Chaudhary, District Magistrate, Champawat.
Besides, better coordination among different executive agencies in completing the development works on time is vital, Chaudhary futher said, asking the officials concerned to work out all the formalities on time so that development related works could be expedited in the district.