HYDERABAD: State government’s special representative in Delhi S Venugopala Chary called on Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change Harsh Vardhan in Delhi on Saturday and requested him to give early clearances to irrigation projects taken up in the state.
Chary urged the Minister to give Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) clearance for Kaleshwaram and Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation projects, and National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) clearance for BR Ambedkar Pranahitha project.
The total forest lands proposed for diversion for these three projects are 4,509.6259 hectares. The details submitted by Venugopala Chary to the Union Minister are as follows:
Dr BR Ambedkar Pranahitha Project
The forest area proposed for diversion is 1,136.0138 hectares. NBWL clearance is required as 622.0128 hectares out of 1,136.0138 hectares is falling in Reserve Tiger corridor.
Kaleshwaram Project
Total forest area proposed for diversion is 3,168.131 hectares. FAC clearance is required for stage-1 approval by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and Climate Change (CC).