ITANAGAR, Oct 30: Save Arunachal Movement (SAM) on Monday has demanded the state government to constitute a state level monitoring committee to evaluate various schemes implemented under the State Compensatory Afforestation fund Management (CAMPA) and green India Mission within the state.
Addressing the press conference here at Arunachal press club (APC) the SAM has already served several memorandum and representation to various authority including the PCCF, Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Forest Minister but hardly scrutiny of the fund management under CAMPA has taken place is a matter of great concern. The SAM has demanded immediate clarification on the issue with constitution of a monitoring committee within the span of one month would opt for legal action in the form of Public Interest Litigation (PIL), said secretary general SAM Sangey Phuntsok. CAMPA schemes across the state have been implemented by violating the norms of CAMPA Act 2016.
More than eight thousand crores which were intended to accelerate the preservation of natural forest by way artificial plantation in lieu of the area deforested for the purpose of several infrastructure project like of power line, tower line, hydropower projects, roads and other important public projects were taken and the replacement of forestation should have been taken place in other places. For wildlife and other allied works for the larger interest of the state seems to have been embezzled by the forest department’s officers, he alleged.
Informing they have accumulated all the necessary documents through RTI from the concerned department, he said according to the CAMPA act Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was supposed to be done between department and land owner in form of village forest management committee but to its utter dismay the same was not followed in case of state of Arunachal Pradesh by forest department.
“From 2018 – 2023 departments have been carrying out plantation schemes across the state without the knowledge, proper approval and consent of actual land owners,” said SAM chairman Tami Pangu.
Stating till date concerned department and officers have breached the laid down rules besides duping the villagers of the state which is serious in nature, SAM also appealed to the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) state police to expedite the investigation process and to punish all the officers involved in the gross mismanagement of funds that means for the preservation of nature. Complain has already been submitted to state vigilance officer and SIC.
SAM’s demands also included to evaluate physical achievement of plantation works initiated under CAMPA outside Reserve Forest areas, demarcation of the area fall under afforestation works carried by forest department under CAMPA, enquire into whether guidelines for scheme proposal were followed or not from 2021-23. If the guidelines and procedures were not properly adopted, criminal charges must be framed against the involved officers. Said Chairman SAM.
We have on several occasion has approached to several authority but we were not provided with the proper demarcation of the RF area and it seems that the forest department is still compiling the schemes. We have visited several district of state to enquire the issue and meet several people and understand that the schemes has not been properly implemented nor the mandatory guidelines and procedures has been adopted. The SAM Chairman further said.
