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| SC ban violated, PDA approves 13 buildings in ecologically imbalanced Patnitop without environmental clearance | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Jan 5: Despite Supreme Court having put blanket ban on construction or conversion of land at Patnitop till ecological balance is restored, tourism department seemingly violated the same by approving 13 building permission cases without seeking environmental clearance.
Though reasons for this could not be ascertained but reliable sources said that Building Operations Controlling Authority (BOCA) of Patnitop Development Authority had invited retiring Regional Director of Department of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing V.K. Raina for the meeting. Since Raina was retiring, sources said that he neither attended nor officially deputed someone else from the department to attend this high profile environmentally sensitive meeting.
The meeting was held in the absence of a representative of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing department. On being asked, Director Tourism Robin Singh Mehta said that meeting was held on December 30 wherein 13 building permission cases were approved by Building Operations Controlling Authority (BOCA) of Patnitop Development Authority. "Forest was represented by DFO Udhampur. He was very much in the meeting. His signatures are there on all the 13 cases approved by us. So, there is no question of ignoring the Forest Department in this meeting," said Mehta.
When asked about officials invited to the meeting, Mehta said that CEO PDA Dr. Raman Kesar would be able to spell out details. When Dr Raman Kesar was asked "Cases we have approved are those where we have received NOC from the Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing department." He added that Raina had been invited but he did not attend the meeting. Kesar kept saying that cases which have been approved are of those who have got NOCs from the Forest Department.
However, Director of the Department of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing Suresh Chug when contacted said "Our representative was V.K.Raina. I made all efforts to ensure that Raina goes for the meeting but since he was retiring on the very next day, official courtesy demanded not to force him. I am extremely pained for not having been able to send my representative." He expressed complete ignorance over someone from Forest Department having attended the meeting.
Sources said that the Forest Department is appalled over BOCA preferring to bypass Department of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing. They added that BOCA should have contacted Forest Department before holding the meeting. If it was not possible to delay the meeting, forest officials are saying that tourism officials should have requested for sending someone else to attend this environmentally sensitive and significant meeting.
Instead, sources said that Director Tourism Robin Singh Mehta who is Chairman of Building Operations Controlling Authority (BOCA) of Patnitop Development Authority cleared 13 building permission cases with a note that some cases need to be examined by the Patnitop Development Authority and Divisional Town Planner, Udhampur after site visit and placed before the Committee in its next meeting. Though Mehta said that DFO Udhampur attended the meeting, official handout issued on the same day made no mention of someone from Forest Department having attended the meeting.
According to the handout, those who attended this meeting included Chief Executive Officer, PDA who is also Member Secretary, BOCA, Dr Raman Kesar, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Udhampur, S.S. Sambyal, Superintending Engineer, PWD (R&B) Udhampur and Divisional Town Planner (DTP) Udhampur. However, there was no trace of DFO Udhampur in the official handout. |
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