Uttarkashi admn to educate people on eco-sensitive zone

MUSSOORIE: The Uttarkashi district administration has begun an exercise to educate villagers about the new gazette notification declaring the Gomukh to Uttarkashi region as an eco-sensitive zone in wake of the stiff resistance to the imposition of such a clause by affected villagers.

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, January 4

The Uttarkashi district administration has begun an exercise to educate villagers about the new gazette notification declaring the Gomukh to Uttarkashi region as an eco-sensitive zone in wake of the stiff resistance to the imposition of such a clause by affected villagers.

A meeting in this regard was organised by District Magistrate, Uttarkashi, C Ravishankar yesterday. Officials of various departments attended the meeting and deliberated on the plan to organise a public hearing and preparing a master plan in accordance with the new gazette notification of declaring the area from Gomukh to Uttarkashi as an eco-sensitive zone.

It was decided in the meeting that the master plan would be prepared only after consulting around 88 affected village heads in the district. He invited the village heads in the meetings to be held in this regard in near future.

The District Magistrate said some villagers were opposing the eco-sensitive clause due to lack of adequate information about it. He assured the villagers that the master plan would be devised only after consulting them. Hence, there was no reason for fear, he said.

He said the master plan would be prepared within a span of two years of the gazette notification announcement. He said the progress report in this regard would be sent and fresh guidelines had been sought from the government on the issue.

Mallika Bhanot, member of the monitoring committee, Government of India, was also present in the meeting who shed light on the new gazette notification and said villagers were being involved in the discussion and there problems had been registered.

She said the master plan in the eco-sensitive zone would be implemented only after discussion with the affected villagers during public hearing.

The notification on the eco-sensitive zone was discussed in detail through slide show presentation on the occasion.

Later, Chandan Singh Panwar, block pramukh, Bhatwadi, registering his protest against the eco-sensitive zone clause presented a memorandum to the District Magistrate, Uttarkashi. Zila Panchayat member Jashoda Rana, president Municipal Council Uttarkashi Jayendri Rana, CDO GS Rawat, Deputy Collector Hargiri and others were present on the occasion.