VISAKHAPATNAM: The city is set to lose precious forest land to make way for IT projects, residential townships and other concrete structures. Forest land, including the reserve forests of Seetakonda close to the Indira Gandhi Zoo , and casuarina plantations near Sagarnagar on the beaches towards Bheemili might soon be lost to the vagaries of development."The government is trying to accommodate various IT projects, educational institutions, office buildings, residential townships and other infrastructure required for the region. As there is no nonforest land available in the vi cinity of the city, the government has been actively considering forest land," a senior revenue official told TOI on condition of anonymity .As per the AP Reorganization Act, the AP government can divert some forest land located within urban areas to make way for infrastructure, sources said. The government had issued a GO (RT No 343) through the environment forest science and technology department on Oct 17, 2014. Using this, the government has taken up denotification of forest land in the vici nity of three cities -Tirupati, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.As part of this, the district administration has been trying to take over 150 acres of Seetakonda and over 60 acres of seaside land at Sagarnagar, which was earlier propo sed for tourism projects. Sources said the district administration has already called for four-five meetings in the last three months in this regard. Another meeting is likely to be held in a couple of weeks to decide on the extent of forest land to be diverted.When the proposal was first mooted in 2015, the Visakhapatnam wing of Human Rights Council had approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT)."The tribunal said that it was in the proposal stage and nothing was on paper. If the government of India issues any order, it would take up the issue. My petition is still pending at the NGT," secretary of the council, Mantri Syam Prasad, said.But the proposals have gained momentum. In place of the forest land acquired, the government is proposing to give land in Anantapur district to the forest department.

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