Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday emphasised on expediting the forest clearances under FCA so that work on developmental projects could be completed within the stipulated time. Presiding over a meeting of senior officers of the Forest Department, he said that timeline for clearance must be adhered to in cases of construction of medical colleges, tourism projects, educational institutions, roads, and electric charging stations.

Sukhu said the government will strike a balance between development and environment conservation even as it executes important projects. He also said the department will appoint a nodal officer to oversee this initiative, and work with the help of district forest officers. The CM also said that funds from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) need to be spent on the energy-saving sector and directed the convening of a meeting of the governing body of state authority.

The Chief Minister also said that all civil and other construction works of the forest department will now be executed by the PWD and other executing agencies. He said that special attention should be paid on afforestation drives considering the rapid change in climatic conditions worldwide.

The Chief Minister was informed by this cabinet that in the first phase, the forest department has identified 15 sites where plantation will be done on 256.50 hectares of land. The plantation should be done in accordance with the altitude of the site so that the survival rate of plants is better and monitoring of the plantation sites is ensured, Sukhu instructed.

On Friday, presiding over a meeting of Gau Seva Aayog, he directed the animal husbandry department to make arrangements to shelter deserted animals and develop a mobile app for people to upload the photographs of stray cattle. Such sightings will be acted upon by the senior veterinary officer, veterinary officer, and the pharmacist of the concerned block, and it will be their responsibility to take these deserted animals to Gau Sadans, the government said in a statement issued on Saturday.

The Chief Minister said that according to the 20th animal census, the number of such animals in the state was 36,311, out of which 20,203 deserted cattle have been provided shelter in various Gau Sadans and still 9,117 such animals were roaming free on the roads creating threat to the commuters.

He directed the animal husbandry department to identify appropriate land for grazing and also the water bodies with the help of the forest department. He has also directed the officers to come up with a blueprint of infrastructure for such deserted cattle within 10 days. (PTI)