HYDERABAD: The Telangana government, on Wednesday, issued orders giving final (Stage-II) approval for the diversion of around 9.2 hectares (ha) of forest land from the Lankapalli Reserved Forest in Sathupalli of Khammam district to the SCCL to construct a railway line for the transportation of coal and total of 4.8 ha of forest land from the two districts — Warangal Rural (4.4 ha) and Mulugu (0.4 ha) — for the JCR Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme.
With the forest clearance accorded to the SCCL for the construction of a private railway line, a new railway station will come up in Sathupalli that will connect it to Bhadrachalam Road. As part of compensatory afforestation for the loss of 9.2 ha forest in Lankpally, the conditions laid down mentioned that afforestation works will be taken up and will maintain over 20 ha of degraded forest patch in compartment 156 of the same reserved forest. For compensation of 4.8 ha lost to Devadula project, 4.9 ha of non-forest land has been identified in Pambapur.