Gandhinagar, May 20 (AHN) The Gujarat government has decided to send advance and consolidated proposals to the Centre for diversion of protected forest land required for future road widening projects, as part of an effort to speed up infrastructure works while maintaining environmental safeguards.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.

Government spokesperson and Minister Jitu Vaghani said the Chief Minister had issued directions for advance planning in cases where protected forest areas fall within the margins of roads identified for future expansion.

"State roads where protected forest land falls within the margins and where widening is planned in future should be identified in advance, and consolidated proposals for diversion of such protected forest areas should be sent to the Central government from now itself," Minister Vaghani noted while briefing reporters after the meeting.

He said the state government would also simultaneously arrange the non-forest land required to be handed over to the Forest Department against the forest land proposed for diversion so that approvals could be processed more quickly.

"To enable prompt and speedy action on these diversion proposals, the non-forest lands required to be provided to the Forest Department against the protected forest areas to be diverted will also be made available together," he added.

According to the state government, the Roads and Buildings Department has so far completed or initiated widening works covering nearly 1,000 hectares of land across the state.

Taking into account future road expansion plans and roadside protected forests notified by the Forest Department, the state has made a preliminary estimate that diversion of around 2,000 hectares of forest land may still be required in the coming years.

Officials said that, as part of the compensatory land arrangement, the Roads and Buildings Department has already identified a "land pocket" of around 1,000 hectares of non-forest land at Sheh village in Lakhpat taluka of Kutch district.

The state government also estimated that another 2,000 hectares of non-forest land would be needed in future to ensure that diversion proposals are processed without delay.

The government said the initiative is expected to reduce administrative complications linked to land acquisition and forest clearance procedures.

It added that faster approvals from the Centre would help ensure timely completion of road widening projects while maintaining the requirement of providing an equivalent area of non-forest land elsewhere against diverted forest land.

The state government also said wider roads would improve the speed, safety and convenience of public transport in Gujarat while helping maintain a balance between infrastructure development and environmental conservation.