The Hindu : Front Page : Economic Survey moots forest land bank

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Economic Survey moots forest land bank

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: A national forest land bank, to help streamline the process of getting forest clearances, was one of the suggestions made by the Economic Survey, released here on Thursday.

In a section on challenges facing the infrastructure sector, the survey listed “land acquisition delays and slow approval processes, especially environmental and forest clearances,” among the constraints that need to be addressed in the infrastructure sector. It suggested that a “national forest land bank, with clear paperwork and titles, could significantly reduce the approval time for forest clearances.”

The suggestion takes on importance in the light of the recent complaints made, by industry players and infrastructure Ministries, including Steel and Coal, about clearance delays by environment and forest officials at both the Central and State levels. The diversion of forest land for commercial or infrastructure purposes has run into a number of hurdles, with several high-profile cases, including the Vedanta and Posco projects in Orissa, grabbing headlines recently.

However, some Environment Ministry officials warn that a tangle of factors — including an incomplete assessment of the rights of tribals and other forest dwelling communities, Naxalite exploitation of the discontent in forest areas, and a debate on the definition of forest — could make the concept of a national land bank with clear titles difficult to implement.

With regard to land acquisition, the survey suggested that bringing parity between the compensation packages applicable under the Land Acquisition Act 1894 and the National Highways Act, 1956, could help. If private parties were allowed to bid for supply of land, price discovery issues could be circumvented.

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