Funds for afforestation go unutilised
Despite Rs 11,000 crores set aside for compulsory afforestation (CA) under CAMPA, much of the funding in forestation programmes remains unused.
The Compensatory Afforestation Planning and Management Authority (CAMPA) funds comprise collections from industries and government organisation for diversion of forested areas to non-forest purposes.
The Comptroller and Auditor General’s comprehensive scrutiny of the records of forest land diverted in Madhya Pradesh between 1997-98 and 2006-07 show that a total of 8,915 hectares of forest land was diverted for 96 projects. From this, 7,060 hectares of land was stipulated for compulsory afforestation, for which Rs 38 crores was made available by user agencies.
Unfortunately, only Rs 2.61 crores ended up being utilised for afforestation. Environmentalist Kanchi Kohli, who has been tracking how CA is not working on the ground, pointed out that not only is there lack of timely allotment of funds but officials openly complain, land is getting scarcer.
The situation becomes more alarming since India’s forest cover has gone down by 367 sq km between 2007 and 2009.
The 2011 report of the Dehra Dun-based Forest Survey of India warns against the organzied threat of the timber mafia and of illegal mining which is destroying large swathes of forests. This is not to say that some states are not working towards compulsory afforestation.
Determined to achieve a 33 per cent tree cover, Karnataka plans to plant 19.8 crore seedlings every year for the next 10 years. Already, 15 lakh hectares of land is expected to be made available for this tree farming programme with one crore seedlings having been distributed for this programme, its principal chief conservator of forest pointed out.
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