Forest dept objects to master plan, Nayagaon development stalled again

The local government department has decided to seek Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal8217;s permission to approach the Supreme Court and the Union Environment and Forests Ministry for seeking clearance to execute the planned development and expansion.

Confirming the development, that is bound to hamper the renewed plans of the state government for Nayagaon, Local Government Principal Secretary D S Bains told Newsline that the forest department had represented the two conditions on which the Nayagaon Nagar Panchayat was constituted on October 18, 2006.

The conditions said 8220;the forest and land preservation area under the Nagar Panchayat shall continue to be so unless it is duly approved or cleared for other uses by the competent authority to do so8221; and 8220;the constitution of Nagar Panchayat shall not impinge upon any orders of the courts of competent jurisdiction particularly with regard to illegal construction, if any. The department and Nagar Panchayat shall adhere to such orders8221;.

The forest department, Bains said, suggested the local government department to become a party in the pending litigation pertaining to unlock forest and land preservation area before the apex court besides representing the Union government for procuring requisite approval and clearance for such area for other than agriculture and allied purposes.

Bains said the department had received 46 suggestions and claims on the draft master plan. 8220;They mainly pertained to demands of civic infrastructure, changing locations of certain proposed facilities and disputing the forest and land preservation area restriction on the grounds that the restricted areas were already being used for other than agricultural or allied purposes.8221;

All those who wrote to the department were given a personal hearing in Chandigarh on Monday and asked to produce relevant documentary evidence to substantiate their claims.

Bains said the genuine claims and suggestions would be examined within a week before tabling the detailed report before the Punjab Regional Town Planning and Development Board, headed by the Chief Minister.

8220;Within a month, we will finalise the master plan, following which, as and if allowed by the CM, we will knock at the doors of competent authorities to procure requisite approvals and clearances for undertaking the planned development and expansion of Nayagaon,8221; said Bains.