<p>In a bid to address delays in securing forest clearances for various projects of the government, a nodal unit will come up in the forest department to speed up the process.</p>.<p>In the Legislative Assembly recently, legislators gave suggestions to depute one official in each department to follow up on works kept pending due to forest clearances.</p>.<p>The proposal to establish a separate nodal unit for forest clearances was announced by Forest Minister Aravind Limbavali. </p>.<p>Earlier, Mahantesh Koujalagi (Congress) had pulled up the government for failing to complete the Chachadi lift irrigation project sanctioned in 2007. Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, responding on behalf of CM B S Yediyurappa, said that a majority of the works was complete.</p>.<p>The government has also offered 3.92 acres of land to compensate for the forest land lost for the irrigation project, he said.</p>.<p>Koujalagi questioned why there was a delay of 16-17 years to grant forest clearances for developmental projects, during which Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri intervened with a suggestion. "One official should be deputed in each of the government departments to follow up on projects that are pending due to forest clearances," he said.</p>.<p>Several other legislators echoed the same sentiment, adding that undue delay in forest clearances had brought several projects to a stand-still.</p>.<p>Limbavali said the government is aware of such issues.</p>
<p>In a bid to address delays in securing forest clearances for various projects of the government, a nodal unit will come up in the forest department to speed up the process.</p>.<p>In the Legislative Assembly recently, legislators gave suggestions to depute one official in each department to follow up on works kept pending due to forest clearances.</p>.<p>The proposal to establish a separate nodal unit for forest clearances was announced by Forest Minister Aravind Limbavali. </p>.<p>Earlier, Mahantesh Koujalagi (Congress) had pulled up the government for failing to complete the Chachadi lift irrigation project sanctioned in 2007. Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, responding on behalf of CM B S Yediyurappa, said that a majority of the works was complete.</p>.<p>The government has also offered 3.92 acres of land to compensate for the forest land lost for the irrigation project, he said.</p>.<p>Koujalagi questioned why there was a delay of 16-17 years to grant forest clearances for developmental projects, during which Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri intervened with a suggestion. "One official should be deputed in each of the government departments to follow up on projects that are pending due to forest clearances," he said.</p>.<p>Several other legislators echoed the same sentiment, adding that undue delay in forest clearances had brought several projects to a stand-still.</p>.<p>Limbavali said the government is aware of such issues.</p>