Uttrakhand Approves Land Transfer

• 30 Jun 2020

Why in News

Recently, the Uttarakhand State Wildlife Advisory Board has permitted proposals on the transfer of forest land in Gangotri National Park for development of roads.

• The decision comes amid the row between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

Key Points

• Under these proposals, a total of 73.36 hectares of forest land at three different sites of Gangotri National Park will be required to be transferred for construction of separate roads, totalling 35.66 km in length.
• Gangotri National Park is a protected area and forest land chosen is near the international border with China.
• These routes are very important for national security because they will make the movement of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel near the China border far easier.
• Now, the proposals regarding the land transfer for these roads will be sent to the National Wildlife Board.

Gangotri National Park

• It was established in 1989 and is situated in Uttarkashi, Uttrakhand in the upper catchment of Bhagirathi River.
• Gaumukh at Gangotri glacier, the origin of river Ganga, is located inside the park.
• The park area forms a viable continuity between Govind National Park and Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Flora: The park is enveloped by dense coniferous forests that are mostly temperate. Chirpine, deodar, fir, spruce, oak and rhododendron are the common vegetation.
• Fauna: Various rare and endangered species like bharal or blue sheep, black bear, brown bear, himalayan monal, himalayan snowcock, himalayan tahr, musk deer and snow leopard are found in the park.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police

• One of the Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF), it was raised on 24^th October 1962.
• ITBP is deployed on border guarding duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh covering 3488 km of Sino-India Border.
• ITBP is a specialized mountain force and most of the officers and men are professionally trained mountaineers and skiers.
• Being the first responder for natural disasters, ITBP has been carrying out numerous rescue and relief operations across the country.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.
• In November 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed to merge the Assam Rifles with the ITBP.

Source: IE