Rajasthan faces fine for illegal diversion of forest land in ’08

The environment ministry is going to initiate action against Rajasthan government’s Public Works Department in a 2008 case of illegal diversion of forest land for construction of an air strip in Kolana, which falls in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s constituency Jhalrapatan.

The ministry’s top body — appraising projects for forest clearances, Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) — has ordered that a monetary penalty be imposed on the government agency and directed the ministry’s regional office in Lucknow to take action under Forest Conservation Act, 1980, for the violation, minutes of its January 25 meeting showed.

The FAC was appraising a fresh proposal for diversion of 120.4 hectares of forest land to expand the airstrip and the committee had noted that 9.71 hectares of forest land was used for the project without due clearances from Centre. Eventually, it recommended an in-principal approval for the air strip expansion with general and standard conditions, including directions to take action against violations.

In its December meeting, the FAC had asked the Rajasthan government to clari fy its position on the issue and action taken in the matter. The state government, in its response, had said that a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against three errant engineers and one of them had deposited a penalty of Rs 25,000. Based on the state government’s response, the FAC has sought to know the status of the cases registered against the errant PWD engineers for willful violation.

It also said, “User agency responsible for violation shall be prosecuted under local Act of the state for unauthorised use of forest land without permission of state authority.” The Rajasthan government will have to cough up penalty under the new guidelines for violations under Forest Conservation Act. It will will have to pay the Net Present Value of the forest land from the date of the violation along with 20 per cent simple interest till the deposit is made.

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The ministry’s top body — appraising projects for forest clearances, Forest Advisory Committee — has ordered that a monetary penalty be imposed on the Raj govt’s Public Works Department