The proposed plantation budget of ₹282 crore planned by the Haryana State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for the year 2022-2023 is “excessive and should be revised”, observed Ashok Khemka, a member of the steering committee of the panel.
In a letter to the government on May 22, Khemka observed that too much focus on plantation has not been successful as there has been no increase in forest cover in the state in the last two decades, and that there was a need to revise strategy to increase forest cover.
In the fifth steering committee meeting on May 22 (HT has accessed a copy of the minutes of the meeting), Khemka cites the State of Forest Reports and said that there total forest cover in the state increased from 604sqkm in 1997 to 1,604sqkm in 2005. However, in the forest report of 2021, the total forest cover stood at 1,603sqkm, which indicates there has been no increase in the forest cover in the last two decades.
“The forest department may review its modus operandi before infusing large scale funds in planting. The dense forest cover has decreased in state from 570sqkm in 2003 to 479sqkm in 2019, suggesting open forests are not transitioning into dense forests,” observed Khemka in the letter.
Referring to the proposed budget, Khemka said that at this rate, CAMPA funds will be exhausted in four years. “The funds should not be treated as windfall gain and their use should be staggered,” he said.
Khemnka also observed that given the flat forest cover, it was clear that intense focus on forest plantation model was not working and as per the central government mandate, the focus should be on protecting and increasing dense forest cover.
Another key observation was that monitoring of plantations should be long-term. “The focus on intensive plantations negates the existing root stock and is counter productive,” he observed.
Khemka also called for taking stock of the existing seedlings, saplings and tall plants that are available in departmental nurseries. “There is a need to consult with local communities but there is no indication of any such consultation,” he said in the letter.
In another letter written on June 22 directed to the CEO of Campa, Khemka has put on record his dissent to the minutes of the meeting that grant approval to an expenditure of ₹100.63 crore for new plantations, which he said was heavily escalated.
HT reached out to Khemka for comments but he did not respond.
Vivek Saxena, CEO of Haryana Campa, said the concerns raised by a member are taken seriously, addressed and action-taken report is presented in the next meeting, which happens every three to four months. “The concerns are being addressed. We are actively monitoring the plantations and work is done through external agencies. Last year, TERI did the monitoring work. As far as preliminary report is concerned, the survival rate of trees is satisfactory across Haryana,” he said.
Saxena also said the issue of high cost per tree and variance in different rates was also due to the fact that proposals come from different agencies and the rate of inputs has increased substantially. “The proposal for increase in assisted natural regeneration comes from forest officials and it can be increased next year,” he observed.
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