Amid growing clamours for protecting the plantations at the ‘industrial land' of ‘Dhol ka Badh' in Sanganer, Rajasthan State Industrial and Investment Corporation Limited (RIICO) – the custodian of the land – has come out to dismiss outrightly the claims of pressure groups which are huddling to prove that the land dotted with trees and green shrubs is forest land or biodiversity zone, which can't be uprooted for industrial development.
RIICO is coming up with two ambitious multi crore projects – Unity Mall and Rajasthan Mandapam – on this land, which was acquired between 1982 and 1984 from private owners, was handed over to RIICO for industrial purpose.
Land notified for industrial land use in Master Plan
“In 1988, it was allotted for industrial use for the Gem Stone Industrial Park, which was later cancelled. Due to non-use of the land for a long time, some trees and bushes have grown automatically. But it doesn't mean that the vast stretch of land is forest area. The previous Congress government want to develop FinTech park on this land, which was shelved and now two new projects are planned on this land,” said a senior RIICO official.
He said that RIICO will comply with all norms and rules in master plan, building bye-laws or any other legal or environmental provisions for the development of the two projects, which is aimed at creating hundreds of jobs and business opportunities,” he said.
The official also said that the trees planted on the land are being protected as much as possible and the project has been designed in such a way that as many trees as possible can be kept in place.
While removing the trees which are necessary for the project, 10 times more trees will be planted as per the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT),” he said.
RIICO has favourable decisions from courts
RIICO has also cited two important judicial decisions in this regard. The Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur, on 27 September 2024, dismissed the PIL titled D.B. Civil Writ No. 14635/2023 (“Lok Sampatti Sanrakshan Sansthan vs State Government and Others”). The court had held that the land in question is of industrial category and a fine of one lakh rupees was also imposed on the petitioner for misleading and hiding important facts.
Similarly, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Bhopal, also disposed of case number 115/2023 (“Ms. Komal Shrivastava and others vs. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and others”) on 18 September 2023 and did not consider the fact of forest and biodiversity.
What is Unity Mall?
Unity Mall is a national level project, which aims to promote “One District One Product” (ODOP) and ensure balanced regional development. It will provide a central platform to showcase and market ODOP products, GI tagged goods, traditional arts, crafts and culture of all the districts of Rajasthan, giving national access to local artisans and entrepreneurs. The project will also strengthen the ‘Vocal for Local' and ‘Make in India' campaigns and create direct and indirect employment opportunities.
What is Rajasthan Mandapam?
Rajasthan Mandapam will be a state-of-the-art convention center that will put Jaipur on the global trade and conference map. There is also a plan for a Global Capability Center, where international companies will operate their backend operations, which will bring in investment and ramp up industrial activities in the state. This will be Rajasthan's first Global Capability Center, which will provide new employment opportunities for the youth of the state.
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