Noida may use forest land for road to landfill site

NOIDA: The Noida Authority may soon need to change the land-use status of a part of a reserved forest land for the construction of a road, which will lead to the waste remediation site in Mubarkpur village near Sector 145.
Reserved forest land use can be altered with special permission from the central government under specific circumstances. Any kind of felling of trees, construction or any other such activity is deemed illegal in reserved forest areas, which are protected under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Officials said the issue is being discussed with the forest department for the past four months. The authority will now have to apply to the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), officials said.
“We were figuring out a solution, but the Authority can only apply to the central government for changing the land use. We cannot make any changes to reserved forest areas at our level,” said P K Srivastava, divisional forest officer.
The Authority is currently using the unpaved Pusta road for transporting waste in large trucks across the city to the site. It is a thin stretch where only one vehicle can cross at a time. It needs to be widened for permanent use. Since this stretch is also made over a check dam, the Authority will require permission from the forest department for any kind of construction to widen or resurface the road.
The new road is planned to be 760 metres into the reserved forest area. It will connect the landfill and waste remediation site with the road near Sector 145 metro station and the Dedicated Freight Corridor.
“The forest stretch is just an alternative since we need a better road to the Mubarakpur site. We are looking at the possibilities and it is not stopping any of the ongoing work. We have finalised the plan and will ensure that there is no damage to forest or green areas in the city,” said Alok Tandon, chief executive officer, Noida Authority.
With the waste remediation process at Sector 54 nearing completion, the entire city’s waste will now be dumped and recycled at the Mubarakpur site where the authority has three land patches away from inhabited areas. This will also require greater movement of heavy vehicles to and from the site and the road condition will need improvement.