Shivalik corridor could be declared biosphere reserve: Ramesh

During his speech on the 6th National Meeting of State Biodiversity Boards, union minister of environment and forests (independent charge), Jairam Ramesh said a proposal from the Punjab Biodiversity Board calls for the Shivalik corridor to be declared as a biosphere reserve.

If the proposal gets the nod it would be the first inter-state joint venture biodiversity project involving HP, Haryana, Uttarakhand, J&K and Punjab. According to Jairam unregulated mining has wreaked considerable damage on the range.

He added that the state had also proposed to declare Inami Bagh, in Hoshiarpur, where 37 different varieties of mangoes are grown as Biodiversity Heritage Site.

"We will deliberate on it and support it."

Punjab had last year received a grant under the National River Conservation Plan, which amounted to 22 per cent of the total grant. He said that eight river cleaning projects had been implemented in Punjab state at Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Phagwara, Phillaur, Kapurthala, Sultanpur Lodhi. These projects together cost Rs215 crore.

He added that four new projects had been sanctioned for the state in Jalandhar worth Rs211 crore; Phagwara, Nawanshahar, Phillaur and Banga worth Rs75 crore; Dasuha, Mukerian, Tanda, Bhulath worth Rs 124 crore; and Hoshiarpur sewerage treatment plant worth Rs. 94 crore.