PNS | DEHRADUN
BJP leader and Lansdowne MLA Dileep Singh Rawat has threatened to boycott the next Assembly session if the State government fails to convene a special Assembly session to discuss stringent forest regulations that are stalling development schemes like road construction activities. Rawat has raised concerns about stalled development schemes in his Assembly constituency, attributing the delays to the stringent forest regulations as 67 per cent area in his constituency is forest covered.
Rawat emphasised the challenges posed by the forest regulations which mandates the transfer of non-forest land equivalent to twice the forest land used to the Forest Department for any development project such as road construction. He said that this requirement complicates the implementation of crucial development initiatives in his area. Rawat has urged the Uttarakhand government to hold a special assembly session to address these challenges comprehensively. “The current process is highly cumbersome and often delays essential development works. I request the State government to thoroughly review the existing rules and propose amendments tailored to the needs of Uttarakhand,” he said. He called for the State government to draft a proposal to inform the central government and other agencies concerned about the challenges faced by forest-dominated constituencies in Uttarakhand. He urged them to advocate for amendments to the regulations to strike a balance between forest conservation and development needs. “It is imperative to discuss these issues and find workable solutions to ensure that development projects can progress without unnecessary hurdles,” Rawat asserted.
The MLA said that the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has also assured him that this issue will be taken seriously. However, he emphasised the urgency of convening a special assembly session to deliberate on this matter. Rawat warned that if the State government fails to take action by convening the proposed special session, he will boycott all assembly sessions. “I have appealed to the government to address this issue by convening a special assembly session. If no steps are taken, I will not participate in any future sessions,” he claimed.
