Brutang Irrigation Project In Odisha Gets Final Forest Clearance From Centre

Bhubaneswar: The proposed irrigation project over river Brutang in Odisha’s Nayagarh district has been issued final forest approval from the Centre.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has extended its approval to the use of forest area for non-forest purposes to execute the project. The Centre issued the approval after chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s took up the matter with Union Environment Minister during his visit to New Delhi recently.

The Centre has approved irrigation of 1,524.17 hectare forest land under the project. As a compensation, the state has pledged to take up afforestation in equal area of land, a press release from CMO on Monday said.

It may be noted that the project has been hanging fire for the last 30 years for lack of approval of the ministry.

Under Brutang project, around 23,000 hectare cultivable land would be irrigated. The farmers of Naygarah and Daspalla would benefit from the project.