By IANS,
New Delhi : The environment ministry has accorded initial forest clearance to the Brutanga irrigation project in Orissa, clearing the way for diversion of over 1,527 hectares of forest land across a tributary of Mahanadi river.
The project in Nayagarh district was given Stage I forest clearance by the forest advisory committee (FAC) at its meeting last month after the state government presented a detailed plan for rehabilitating people who would be displaced by it, the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The project involves construction of an earthen dam, 552 metres long, which will submerge 2110 hectares of land, of which 1009.44 hectares is forest land, the statement said.
“The environment ministry based on the recommendation of the FAC is of the view that this project would benefit thousands of farmers in the state and has accorded the Stage I clearance to the project,” it added.
The Orissa government will now have to submit a compliance report to the environment ministry for formal clearance.
The ministry has lately been in the limelight for not giving environment clearance to Vedanta for mining in Orissa’s Niyamgiri hills.