A core group will be set up to frame policies to protect the environment in Uttarakhand and advice of experts will be strictly followed in reconstruction of flood-ravaged areas of the state, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today said.
"No reconstruction work across the state will be undertaken without seeking prior advice of environmental scientists and geological experts," Bahuguna said at a meeting of Uttarakhand Environment Index Development Committee held in New Delhi, an official release here said.
The panel decided to set up a core group soon to frame specific policies designed to address environmental issues amid massive reconstruction efforts to be undertaken in the state in the wake of the mid June calamity, it said.
A conference of institutions engaged in environmental research will also be held in Uttarakhand where their advice will be sought on how to rebuild the disaster-hit state, Bahuguna said.
Noted environmental scientist and TERI Director General Dr R K Pachauri, who is also on the panel, said developing infrastructure along the vastly damaged Char Dham yatra route in Uttarakhand should be the priority.
"With about 63 per cent of land in Uttarakhand under forest cover and its significant contribution in the conservation of natural resources, the state should be compensated economically by the Centre," he said.
