Jammu, March 19 (BANN) : Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo chaired a high-level meeting to assess the identification of land parcels for developing a land bank in Jammu and Kashmir. This initiative aims to support developmental projects and facilitate compensatory afforestation in compliance with Supreme Court directives regarding the diversion of forest land for infrastructure projects.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary instructed both divisional and district administrations to locate all government-owned land within their respective areas. He emphasized the importance of a well-structured and comprehensive approach to land identification, ensuring that each parcel is categorized based on its potential for development and socio-economic welfare initiatives.
To enhance accuracy and efficiency, he directed the Forest Department to conduct GIS mapping of the identified land parcels in collaboration with the Revenue Department. He also underscored the necessity of joint field verification to confirm the suitability of these lands for either development purposes or compensatory afforestation.
Highlighting the importance of proper land classification, the Chief Secretary suggested dividing the land bank into two categories—one for infrastructure development and another for afforestation, adhering to the Supreme Court’s guidelines.
Commissioner Secretary of Forests, Ecology & Environment, Sheetal Nanda, informed the meeting that a committee, headed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), has been formed to identify and establish a land bank of non-forest land suitable for afforestation. She stated that this initiative aligns with the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, ensuring that afforestation compensates for the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes. She reaffirmed that this measure complies with the Supreme Court’s directive to prevent any net reduction in forest land.
Providing an update on progress, PCCF (HoFF) Suresh Kumar Gupta revealed that 2,576 land parcels covering an area of 553,263 kanal have been identified across J&K for compensatory afforestation. After joint inspections with the Revenue Department, 82 parcels spanning 14,797 kanal and 154 marla were confirmed to be free from encumbrances and deemed suitable for inclusion in the land bank for afforestation.
