Khejri conservation: Raj govt panel to draft law that protects state tree

Jaipur: The Rajasthan govt has constituted a six-member committee to draft a special law that protects khejri, the state tree, amid growing public sentiment and demands for stronger safeguards.An order issued by principal secretary Naveen Jain said the committee will be chaired by law and parliamentary affairs minister Jogaram Patel, with revenue minister Hemant Meena and MoS, forest and environment, Sanjay Sharma as members.
The panel has been tasked with studying tree protection laws in other states, examining existing legal provisions and judicial precedents and consulting stakeholders while preparing the draft legislation for khejri conservation."The committee will submit the proposed draft of the law within one month," a senior govt official said. The committee was formed after environmentalists and local groups protested the alleged indiscriminate felling of khejri trees, especially for solar power projects. Activists recently held a sit-in protest as part of the ‘Khejri Bachao Andolan' in Bikaner, which continued for 10 days.