Rs 1200 crore environmental restoration crusade for Braj Bhumi
Kolkata, Aug 27 (UNI) With a view to restoring the pristine glory and the charm of ''Braj Bhumi'', situated within the golden triangle of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur encompassing Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana, the country's largest environmental developmental project has been launched in private public partnership at an estimated cost of Rs 1200 crore.
This was announced here today during a power point presentation by famous journalist-turned environmentalist Vineet Narain, who shot into prominence by exposing the infamous Jain hawala case in 1996.
Mr Narain, who had now taken over the ''crusade of reviving the lost glory of the land of Krishna'' and was heading the ''Braj Foundation'', the sole implementing agency, said the restoration project was aimed to be completed by 2012 and estimated to cost about Rs 1200 crore.
Elaborating the nature of the project, Mr Narain said it was not only aimed at restoring nature, environment and ecology of the 1500 sq km area, which had already been largely destructed because of random illegal mining, but also at converting the entire area as an attractive tourist destination for both the Indian and foreign visitors because of its 5,000-year-old rich and diversified historical and religious values.
Since well known industrialists-cum-social workers like Mr Alfred Ford of the Ford Foundation, Mr Hrisikesh Mafatlal of the Mafatlal Group, Mr Suresh Neotia, Chief of the Gujarat Ambuja Cement Group, Mr John Sims of the Himalayan Ski Village Corporates and Mr Narain, who became the Chief Executive Officer, joined hands to form the 'Braj Foundation' in 2004. Only about 15 per cent work of the mammoth project had been completed so far.
This included restoration of nearly 30 of about 800 water tanks, most of which had been dried up because of illegal mining and other ecological disasters, 15 of nearly 50 prominent groves and forests besides innumerable historical and heritage sites scattered all across the Braj Bhumi.
At present, the Foundation was fully geared up to prepare a satellite-based detailed image of all historial sites and forest land in the area besides creating a scintific data bank for all hills and mountains and the area of habitations.
For this purpose the Foundation had recently signed an MOU with the Roorkie University in the form of technical collaboration for this purpose opening a new vista in the programme, he said.
Moreover, Mr Narain said the Foundation with active support from the Corporate world and diversified business community from both India and abroad, had taken up separate projects for organic farming and development of eco-tourism so that within the next few years, the entire Braj Dham could become one of the most thriving tourist destinations for all.
Asked about the reasons for his visit to the city in the midst of a herculean task, Mr Narain said apart from creating more public opinion against wanton destruction of land and mountain in the wonderful zone through the power point presentation, he had come to seek more assistance for the project from different sectors and individuals.
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