Forest clearance delays stall road projects in Dalhousie, assembly told
Shimla, Aug 21,
The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Thursday witnessed heated discussion over delays in forest clearance cases for road projects in Dalhousie Assembly Constituency.
Raising the issue during Question Hour, Congress MLA D.S. Thakur sought details of cases pending under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and the Forest Rights Act (FRA). He pointed out that despite repeated assurances, several road projects remain stuck for want of clearance, leaving even old jeepable roads closed for days. Thakur pressed the government to specify when the pending cases will be resolved and sought section-wise details of the affected roads.
Replying to the query, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh informed the House that as of July 31, 2025, 12 cases under FCA and 11 under FRA were pending in Dalhousie constituency. “Clearances have already been obtained in 5 FCA cases and 36 FRA forest NOCs,” he said. The minister assured that the government is committed to expediting the process and resolving the issue soon.
Singh added that instructions have been issued to coordinate with the forest department to avoid further delays. He assured that efforts are being made to open blocked jeepable roads at the earliest to ease public inconvenience.
The minister’s assurance came amid concerns raised by members about developmental works suffering due to procedural hurdles in forest clearance.
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