J&K Chief Secy directs creation of GIS-based land bank

Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the identification of land parcels for the creation of a GIS-based land bank. The initiative aims to support developmental projects and facilitate compensatory afforestation in compliance with Supreme Court directives on forest land diversion for infrastructure projects.

A government spokesperson stated that the Chief Secretary instructed divisional and district administrations to identify all government-owned land parcels within their jurisdictions. Emphasising a systematic approach, he called for the proper classification of land based on its suitability for development and socio-economic welfare measures.

To ensure accuracy in land identification, Dulloo directed the Forest Department to collaborate with the Revenue Department in conducting GIS mapping of identified land parcels. He also stressed the importance of joint ground-truthing to validate whether the land should be designated for development projects or compensatory afforestation.

Highlighting the need for categorisation, he suggested that land banks be divided into those suitable for infrastructure projects and those reserved exclusively for afforestation, adhering to Supreme Court guidelines.

Commissioner Secretary of Forests, Ecology & Environment Sheetal Nanda informed the meeting that a committee, led by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), has been formed to identify and create a land bank of suitable non-forest land for compensatory afforestation.

Providing an update, PCCF Suresh Kumar Gupta stated that 2,576 land parcels covering 553,263 kanal have already been identified across Jammu and Kashmir for afforestation purposes.