Shimla: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today met Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi and discussed various important issues related to scientific dredging in flood-affected river areas of Himachal Pradesh.
The Chief Minister said that excessive rainfall, floods and flash floods lead to the accumulation of large quantities of debris, boulders, stones and sand in river channels, adversely affecting their water-carrying capacity and increasing the risk of flooding to human settlements, roads, bridges, forests and other critical infrastructure.
He urged the Union Minister to issue clear and enabling guidelines based on the decisions and recommendations of the Forest Advisory Committee, so that proposals related to dredging could be processed and disposed of in a time-bound manner.
The Chief Minister also urged the Ministry to create a separate category for river dredging on the PARIVESH portal and keep such activities distinct from conventional mining activities. The Chief Minister further requested exemption of river dredging projects from the requirement of compensatory afforestation.
He said that the state government was committed to undertake dredging works strictly on the basis of scientific assessment, replenishment studies and detailed dredging plans. The quantity of material to be removed and the area to be covered would be determined on scientific parameters and the works would be carried out only during the non-monsoon period in accordance with all environmental norms and prescribed safety measures.
