SC judgement on forest land to accelerate development in Kandi areas of Punjab

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government today secured a major relief from the Supreme Court of India as Court exempted scheduled developments works being carried out by diversion of forest land from the payment of Net Present Value (NPV).
Disclosing this here Wednesday Tikshan Sud, Forest Minister said that Punjab along with other states was pleading the Apex Court that the payment of Net Present Value be exempted for community development works to be carried out by diversion of forest land. The State government had forcefully pleaded that user agency that is mostly government, should be exempted from the payment of NPV as these works were carried out for the providing facilities to the public at large. The Minister informed that accepting the plea of the government Supreme Court has exempted public works such as schools, hospitals, children play grounds of non- commercial nature and the public welfare projects such as community Centres in rural areas that require forest land upto two hectares from the payment of NPV. The Minister said that rural infrastructure and basic services such as the construction of the overhead tanks, village roads, the minor irrigation projects upto 10 hectares of storage area, municipal water supply projects, drinking water supply pipelines, housing for the rehabilitation of tribal, laying of the underground optical fiber cables, laying on pipelines for the underground transportation, district and rural roads, roads constructed by Defence in border areas, construction of the transmission lines have been also exempted from the payment of NPV. He said that Supreme Court has also exempted activities necessary for the ecological management, relocation of the villages from the sanctuaries and national park, regularization of pre-1980 eligible encroachers and shifting cultivation from the payment of NPV.It may be added that user bodies that is mostly government is required to pay Rs. 9.20 lac per hectare NPV along with compensatory forest payment for diversion of forest land for any project and with this judgment government would get a huge financial relief in executing development projects in
The Minister said that SAD-BJP Government was committed to usher in era of prosperity and development in the Kandi Area and this judgment of Supreme Court would accelerate development process for them.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 Punjab Newsline Network
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