File photo of Vizag post-Hudhud
Visakhapatnam: The district administration and Vuda's decision to denotify 3,000 acres of forest land to take up various projects without putting forth proposals for afforestation has met with stiff resistance from city-based environmentalists. It may be noted that the district collector has announced that hills of Errakonda, Seetakonda, Nadupur and Narava will be denotified. This decision would further affect the city which has already been ravaged by the cyclone Hudhud, bringing down its green cover from 43 per cent to 23 per cent. The loss has aided in the rise of city's average temperature.
Speaking on the issue, former city deputy mayor K. Dorababu said, “At the end of 2012, the state government had to take up afforesation in 5,640 hectares of alternate lands for forest lands denotified. The government has not notified alternate lands till date. Of the 11,033 hectares to be afforested in the country, AP alone accounts for 51 per cent."
Citing CAG's order regarding the issue, Mr Dorababu said, “CAG has earlier clearly mentioned in its reports several times regarding this. Denotification of 3,000 acres of land in Vizag requires 6,000 acres for afforestation to be allotted by the government. If the new Land Acquisition Act comes into force, acquiring 6,000 acres would be a Herculean task. Even if the government could allocate alternate land elsewhere, it would not be of any use to the city."
Terming the decision by ministers and officials without recourse to forest laws and Supreme Court orders as a deathblow to city's ecology, Mr Dorababu said it's the public who has to face the repercussions.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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