Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 20 Jul: State Minister of Public Works, Rural Construction, Irrigation, Flood Control and Culture, Satpal Maharaj has directed officials to ensure timely disposal of all pending forest land transfer cases affecting road projects across the state.
Chairing a review meeting on Monday at the Public Works Department (PWD) auditorium in Yamuna Colony, Dehradun, the Minister instructed officials from the PWD and the Forest Department to expedite the clearance process for pending proposals.
He stated that despite receiving in-principle approval, many road projects across various PWD circles are yet to receive final approval due to delays in the transfer of forest land. He directed PWD officials to coordinate closely with the Forest Department and ensure that all pending forest land transfer cases are resolved within the stipulated timeframe.
The Minister stated that a total of 1,141 road project cases are currently pending due to forest land transfer issues across PWD circles in the districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Dehradun, and Pauri.
These include 312 cases with formal approval pending implementation, 327 cases with in-principle approval, 347 cases awaiting in-principle approval, and remaining cases pending for uploading and procedural processing.
He emphasised that officials should work in close coordination with the Forest Department to ensure the immediate and timely disposal of all pending cases, thereby accelerating the execution of road infrastructure projects across the state.
The meeting was attended by PWD Secretary Pankaj Pandey, Chief Engineer Rajesh Sharma, Chief Engineers Dayanand and Rajendra Syana, Additional Secretary (Forest & Environment) Kalyani, Nodal Officer Meenakshi Joshi, and officials from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
