After being questioned by National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the new license issued for establishing wood based industries in Uttar Pradesh, the UP Forest department has constituted a High Power Committee in this issue. This Committee will present its detailed report to the NGT on July 15. Based on this report, the matter will be heard by the NGT on 6th August 2019.
Talking to The Ply Reporter, Mr MP Singh, Chief Forest Conservator, UP Forest Department said that the detail report is being prepared by the new committee, which is in process. This High Power Committee has been constituted under the leadership of Kalpana Awasthi, Principal Secretary Forest and Mr. Pawan Kumar Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of forest, forest department, UP Government. Pawan Kumar Singh is also the Head of court cell for UP Forest Department. This committee has to submit its report to the court on July 15. This report will be presented as an answer to the questions raised by the NGT. The committee is working on its report, Mr. Singh added.
This is also noted that NGT issued notice to UP Forest Department during a hearing on a petition filed in connection with the process of licenses issued for wood based industries in UP. In this notice, the NGT has sought the forest department's response to the amount of wood available in Uttar Pradesh. In the petition filed in NGT, the UP Forest Department has been accused of misrepresenting the quantity of wood available in the state.
It is noted that UP Forest Department through E-lottery process on 12th December 2018 declared the names of successful applicants, who had submitted their online application to
establish new plywood, veneers, MDF, particle boards, saw mills and veneer in state. The verification and scrutiny process took around four months after which e-lottery was conducted where a total of 815 licenses for wood based industries were selected in 8 different categories such as Saw Mills (636), Veneer (90), Veneer and Plywood (Veneer + Press) – 76, Particle Board – 05 and MDF/HDF + Particle Board – 08.