Forest cover in Maharashtra has remained stagnant: CAG

Despite the implementation of forest policy since 2008, formation of various committees and expenditure of Rs 4,893 crore since 2010-11, the forest cover in Maharashtra has remained stagnant at 16.45 per cent, the Comptroller and Auditor General's report says.
The report, tabled in the state legislature today, also slams the Government for not bringing substantial part of land under 'zudpi jungle' (shrub forest) and private forest land under the reserved/protected category.
"Consequently, no forest management, development and conservation activities could be taken up in these lands."
The CAG adds that long-term planning for management of forest was not as holistic as 15 of 51 divisions in the state whose working plans had expired between 1989-90 and 2013-14 were either continuing with old plans or no plans at all.

"The gap between the funds demanded by Forest Department and those released by the state Government is as high as 51 per cent," it states.
The CAG also observed that the outlay for the sector was only one per cent of the total plan during 2010-15 against the minimum of 2.5 per cent recommended by the National Forest Commission in 2006.

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) (meant to promote afforestation and regeneration activities as a way of compensation of forest land diverted for non-forest uses) funds parked in the reserved funds of the state were not transferred to the ad-hoc CAMPA account administered by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry, the CAG said.

Bamboo coupes were not harvested by the divisions as per targets laid down in the working plans, resulting in massive shortfalls in revenue realisation, it said.
"The monitoring, evaluation and internal controls in the department were weak," the CAG observed.