Athletes take part at a trial meet in JAP-1 Ground Ranchi for the state women?s festival to be held in Jamshedpur in the last week of October. Picture by Ashok Karan

Jamshedpur, Oct. 7: Ongoing work on Subernarekha Multipurpose Project (SMP) may get a new lease of life, as the state government has agreed to transfer 1,800 hectare of non-forest land for compensatory afforestation.

The transfer of land will be to the state forest and environment department from state water resources department to carry out afforestation activities.

The land is from the water department and will be given to the forest department. Previously the water department had taken a similar acreage from the forest department.

It is expected that the project will be completed in 2008, and will offer Jharkhand a perennial source of water for industry, irrigation, hydro-electricity and drinking water supply.

The Central empowered committee of the Supreme Court that visited SMP project sites last year had recommended state authorities to make the transfer.

They had also made other suggestions, which include structural modification in Chandil Left Main Canal for safe movement of wildlife, developing parts of the canal?s 500-metre periphery into an eco-sensitive zone.

The chief minister, Arjun Munda, today reviewed the work progress at SMP in Ranchi.

He said the state government has already identified about 1,800 hectare of non-forest land for the compensatory afforestation programme.

State water resources department will transfer the same to the state forest and environment department soon.

Union ministry of environment and forests was allegedly delaying the process over agreement issues.