Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa government has proposed to take up 300 ha of plantation in other States citing the non-availability of degraded land to take up compensatory afforestation (CA) towards tree loss, for the current financial year, to clear the backlog, at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore.
The State Forest department, in their Annual Plan of Operation (APO), submitted to the Executive Committee of National Authority CAMPA, has also proposed raising of new CA plantation with protective fencing and chain link, in an area of 200 ha, within the State of Goa. The total cost of the project is Rs 2.50 crore.
The National Authority of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) has approved both proposals. The Authority has approved Rs 36 crore APO for the financial year 2022-23.
The State forest department had submitted a proposed outlay of Rs 38.29 crore for the ongoing financial year under CAMPA, of which the Executive Committee approved Rs 36.53 crore APO while deferred decision with regards to Rs 1.76 crore towards the purchase of vehicles.
As reported earlier, Goa has only carried out 53.9 per cent of the total 3,541 ha of CA and penal compensatory afforestation (PCA) target.
A total of 1,630 ha of backlog were highlighted by the State during the recent meeting held earlier this month; while assuring that the same would be completed by 2023-24. The State had proposed to clear the backlog by planting sampling across 500 ha, during the last financial year and another 565 ha each in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The State had proposed to take up plantation in Madhya Pradesh, permission for which is awaited. Before that, the central body had permitted State to undertake CA in Karnataka towards the tree loss due to the Tamnar power project.
Further, in its APO, the department has got approval for maintenance of the old CA plantation, spread across 437 ha, by spending Rs 1.62 cr.
The APO has also proposed to plant fruit-bearing trees across 385 ha at an estimated cost of Rs 2.88 cr.
