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| Forest Deptt loses grants to its lethargy | | Fails to formulate working plans | | Arun Singh
Early Times Report
Jammu, July 10: With the negligence on the part of State Forest Department for its failure to formulate/ finalize the working plans for forest, over Rs 100 crore of pending grant was withheld by Government of India.
Sources told Early Times that a grant of Rs 133 crore had been earmarked for the Forest of Jammu and Kashmir under 13th Finance Commission. However, against earmarked funding of Rs 66.52 crore as first instalment, the GoI released Rs 16 crore only resulting in short of Rs 49 crore due to non formation/ finalization of working plans for all the Territorial Divisions as grant were linked to the progress of formulation of working plans.
They further informed that the Territorial Divisions in the State were bound to frame working plans of their respective divisions which were mandatory for the further release of funds from the center but brushing aside the guidelines, the department utilized Rs 16 crore but failed to formulate and submit the working plans to centre.
"The non formulation of working plans and utilization of Rs 16 crore as part of earmarked fund is a pointer towards misappropriation funds," they alleged. They further informed that Working Plan has been the main instrument of forest planning in the state for scientific management of forests. It is a very useful document for evaluating the status of forests and biodiversity resources of a forest division, assessing the impact of past management practices and deciding about suitable management interventions for future.
"Periodical up-dating and revision of working plan is essential to keep pace with the trends emerging out of forest-people interface and to address national and international obligations. Preparation of working plan is a highly technical exercise under taken at regular interval in each forest division. The preparation of the working plan is based on stock and vegetation maps which is prepared through ground surveys, they maintained.
Recently, the use of modern tools like remote sensing, GIS and GPS is being utilized for preparing the forest cover maps of forest divisions. Every working plan includes the area specific scientific prescriptions for proper management of forests of a particular forest division, while working schemes are prepared for smaller areas for a specific purpose or for forest areas under the control/ ownership of such bodies as private, village, municipal, cantonment, autonomous district council, they added. |
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