Odisha directs fast-track clearance for 32 priority projects belonging to NHAI, Jio, Railways, and others

The Odisha government has instructed its Forest department to accelerate the forest diversion process for 32 infrastructure, industrial and mining projects identified as priority, as part of efforts to reduce procedural delays and ensure timely execution.

The direction was issued during the third coordination meeting held to address forest-related bottlenecks affecting major projects across the state, as per reports by The New Indian Express.

Emphasis On Procedural Readiness

The reports added that the government directed the concerned departments to immediately intensify groundwork at the departmental level, including site inspections, land identification and demarcation for compensatory afforestation.

The Forest department was also directed to ensure that public hearings and other statutory requirements are completed without delay so that proposals do not stall at preliminary stages.

The focus, officials said, is on removing avoidable administrative hurdles before proposals are forwarded for higher-level approvals, particularly in projects involving large-scale infrastructure and industrial investments.

Review Of Major Central And State Projects

The meeting reviewed the progress of 32 projects involving central and state government agencies, private companies and mining entities where forest clearance issues are pending or in process.

These include projects of the National Highways Authority of India, Indian Railways, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited, Geological Survey of India, and Capital Region Ring Road works.

Telecom infrastructure projects of BSNL and Reliance Jio Infocom Limited, including optical fibre cable laying and tower commissioning, were also reviewed. Officials reported that significant progress has already been achieved in several of these works following coordination at the field level.

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Infrastructure And Mining Developments Assessed

Progress was also noted in OPTCL transmission line projects, GSI mineral exploration activities, and key road projects such as the Cuttack–Kandarpur stretch under NHAI. These projects had earlier faced delays due to pending forest-related clearances.

On the mining front, updates were shared on projects involving Indian Rare Earths Limited, Tata, Bhushan, Dalmia, Rungta, Adani, Vedanta, Trustline Mining and Akharkata mines. Officials stated that multiple mining projects are ready for implementation and are awaiting approvals from the central government.

Among the projects pending final clearance are Kotameta limestone mines of Dalmia, Sijimali bauxite mines of Vedanta, Kedesala and Kendudihi North iron ore mines of Rungta, Gandhalpada iron ore mines of Tata, and Dholtapahar iron ore mines of Kasvi.