Orissa to provide Rs 29.47cr for improving bamboo forests

The Orissa government has decided to provide Rs 29.47 crore for improving the bamboo forests in the state to meet the stipulations of the Union government.

The principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Orissa, had given a proposal to the Empowered Committee (EC) on bamboo headed by the chief secretary.

The committee, in its meeting today approved the funds which will be spent during the current fiscal. The money will be utilised for treatment of 3,20,670 hectares of bamboo forest with simultaneous silviculture operations at a cost of Rs 13.46 crore.

This is expected to generate 19.24 lakh man days of employment and bamboo plantation over 26,722 hectares at a cost of Rs 16 lakhs in the first year of plantation work.

In another significant move, the committee decided to raise the sale price of bamboo to Rs 2100 per metric tonne excluding taxes and duties. The new rate will remain valid for four years from 2008-09 to 2011-12. Out of it, Rs 750 will be towards the royalty to government, silviculture charges and commission of the Orissa State Forest Development Corporation (OFDC).

The incentive formula already approved by the committee with varying rate of royalty for coming 4 years starting from 2008-09 and will be reviewed after 4 years.

Besides, it was decided that the action taken report (ATR) on the bamboo plantation will be submitted to the Union government by the end of May every year.

In pursuance to the decision of the empowered committee, two paper units of the state namely J K Paper Mills and BILT Limited have produced 1,13,572 sale units of industrial bamboo from forest against the potential of 1,47,300 metric tonne by the end of July 2007.