Bhubaneswar: Forest, Environment and Climate Change department Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Satyabrata Sahu Friday directed Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCFs), Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) and field-level officers to proactively identify and communicate potential hurdles in processing forest clearance proposals at an early stage so that projects are not held up unnecessarily.
Sahu said this while chairing a high-level coordination meeting to review and resolve bottlenecks in processing of forest clearance proposals that, according to the department, would pave way for faster decision-making on key development projects while ensuring due safeguards for conservation. The meeting focused on strengthening inter-departmental coordination, streamlining procedures, and ensuring timely compliance with statutory norms. “The Forest, Environment and Climate Change department ACS directed RCCFs, DFOs and field-level officers to identify and communicate potential hurdles at an early stage so that projects are not held up unnecessarily. He also emphasised balancing development initiatives with ecological priorities, with a clear message that conservation norms would not be compromised and development process would not be stalled,” according to a statement issued by the department. Sahu discussed key issues like settlement of rights under the Forest Rights Act, compensatory afforestation requirements, and accurate demarcation of forest land that often delay approval of clearance. Emphasis was laid on adopting technology-driven solutions such as GIS-based mapping, digital monitoring of proposals, and time-bound inter-departmental consultations.
Sahu said he would hold high-level meetings on 12th of every month to review the status of pending projects. It was resolved that dedicated nodal officers would process forest diversion proposals expeditiously. “By ensuring faster and more transparent clearances, the state government aims at providing a boost to infrastructure and industrial projects, while safeguarding the interests of local communities and maintaining ecological balance,” Sahu said.
Status of seven exploratory drilling projects of Geological Survey of India (GSI) and two projects of South Eastern Railway was discussed in detail at the meeting. Sahu asked DFOs to look into forest clearance for a few projects, including Capital Region Ring Road. Among others, Additional PCCF (Nodal) K Murugesan, CCF (Nodal) AK Kar, RCCFs of Rourkela, Angul and Sambalpur, DFOs of Rourkela, Rairangpur, Baripada, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar and Bonai forest divisions and senior officers of GSI and National Highways Authority of India attended the meeting.
