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Of 30 Territorial Divisions of Forest Department, 25 functioning without Working Plans Non adherence to National Forest Policy 6/7/2015 11:43:37 PM Arun Singh Early Times Report Jammu, June 7: The casual approach of the State Forest Department, to save the green gold of the state, can be gauged from the fact that out of its 30 Territorial Divisions, 25 are functioning without any Working Plans for the last more than two decades in sheer violation of National Forest Policy. Sources told Early Times that the State Government had notified the Jammu and Kashmir State Forest Policy in 2011 more than 23 years after the formulation of National Forest Policy which was prepared in 1988. "As per National Forest Policy which states that no forest should be permitted to be worked without the approval of Management Plan/ Working Plans (WPs) by the Government. Working plans are an essential document for the scientific management of natural forest areas," they said further adding that 25 Territorial Divisions out of 30 Territorial Divisions were without any working plans/management plans over a periods ranging between five and over 25 years. They further informed that working plans were prepared in five Territorial Divisions only. "These working plans were also prepared after a delay ranging between two and 16 years since expiry of previous working plan. Of the 5 prepared Working Plans, one Working Plans had been approved by the State Government after expiry of period of its applicability," they informed. Due to non formulation or finalization of working plans, State Forest Department had to face the wrath of the center government as against the earmarked funding of Rs 66.52 crore for period 2012-13 to 2013-14, the center government released Rs 16.63 crore only resulting in short release of Rs 49.89 crore, they maintained. The lackadaisical attitude of the department can be gauged from the fact that for the proper implementation, a high powered Institutional Mechanism was to be put in place to monitor and review implementation of the policy; however, this was not done. Pertinently, National Forest Policy (NFP) 1988 prescribes targets for forest and tree cover, environmental stability, conserving the natural forests for generations to come, preparation of working plans of existing forest, formulation of comprehensive State Forest Policy (SFP) etc.   Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network     Comment on this Story

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