Now, wood-based industry can be set up near forests

Shiv Kumar Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, December 10

The wood-based industry can now be established within an aerial distance of 10 km from the boundary of the notified forests and protected areas in the state.

According to the clarifications issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on November 24, regarding Wood-Based Industries (Establishment and Regulation) Guidelines, 2016, only those units shall be entitled to get the said relaxations, which do not need licence to operate.

“The guidelines on location of wood-based industries with respect to nearest forest or protected area boundary are applicable to only those wood-based industries that require licence,” reads the Ministry’s letter.

According to information, the industry using poplar, eucalyptus, bakain, bamboo, tut, guava and ailanthus wood to make ply, board and other items, shall now not require licence in Haryana.

Besides, industries or processing plants not operating with a band saw or resaw shall not require a licence. The industries operating with a circular saw up to a diameter of 30 shall also not require a licence. Similarly, industrial plants not using round logs of domestic origin shall not require licence, irrespective of size and type of saw.

“Industries or processing plants using round logs of species notified as agricultural produce or exempted from the regime of felling and transit regulations in the states/Union Territories concerned shall not require licence, irrespective of size and type of saw,” read the letter.

Niveditha Bhojrajan, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Yamunanagar, said, “The government has recently exempted some categories of wood-based industries from requiring a licence to operate. Now, these industries shall instead require registration number from the Forest Department”.