*No funds for development of eco-tourist sites
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 5: The much needed revamp of the State Forest Policy, which was ordered more than a year back, is yet to be completed by the Forest Department in consultation with all the stakeholders despite the fact that such a step is imperative not only to conserve the State’s depleting forest wealth but also to promote eco-tourist destinations and commercial propagation of highly remunerative medicinal plants.
Moreover, a panel of senior Ministers of the PDP-BJP Coalition Government which was constituted to suggest measures for protection and management of State’s forests in a much better and coordinated manner has yet not met even once despite lapse of considerable period of time.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that while chairing a high-level meeting to review the working of State Forest Department on July 11, 2015, the then Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had stressed the need to revamp the State Forest Policy, which was formulated in the year 2010, so as to effectively conserve State’s depleting forest wealth by encouraging people’s participation in afforestation drives, identifying eco-tourist destinations and commercial propagation of highly remunerative medicinal plants.
Laying stress on revisiting the policy so that it is in tune with the concerns and expectations of all stakeholders, the former Chief Minister had asked the Forest Department to take effective steps for people’s involvement in protection, sustenance and growth of forests. He had further asked the department to prepare 10-15 pilot projects where villagers are involved in massive plantation drives on denuded forests on the ground that green wealth cannot be protected till the people living in and around the forests are at daggers drawn with the Forest Department.
Again on September 17, 2015, the then Chief Minister, while chairing a meeting of Forest and other departments, had stressed for accelerated revamp of the Forest Policy.
“However, the concerned authorities of the Forest Department instead of fast-pacing the revamp of Forest Policy have completely forgotten the same”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “had there been any seriousness in refurbishing the policy the same would have been completed till date as more than one year has elapsed since the first direction from the then Chief Minister”.
“No doubt, the department is laying much needed focus on plantation drives and has even fixed targets for each Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) to be met during the ongoing monsoon season but there is absolutely no focus on other aspects”, they said, adding “as far as removal of encroachments from the Forest land only those areas are being targeted where there are very little chances of resistance but the sharks are not being touched”.
About the commercial propagation of medicinal plants, sources said, “though the department has prepared a project worth Rs 12 crore for the sites identified in certain parts of Jammu and Kashmir divisions where variety of species of medicinal plants can be grown on commercial basis but it is still groping in dark about source of funding”.
“Similarly, the department has identified some areas for being developed as eco-tourist destinations but again the funding remains an issue”, they said, adding “this is not withstanding the fact that the former Chief Minister had suggested dovetailing the efforts of the Forest Depart-ment with that of the Tourism Development Authorities in this regard to obtain optimum results”.
For safeguarding the forests, a high-level committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister was constituted on July 11, 2015 with Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment and Minister for Tribal Affairs along with Administrative Secretaries of some departments as its Members.
The committee was explicitly told by the then Chief Minister to examine all connected issues related to protection and management of State’s forests. “Astonishingly, the committee has not met even once till date despite lapse of over one year”, sources regretted, adding “this indicates that protection of green gold has remained confined to the official files only”.
“What is the fun of constituting committees if these are not to meet”, sources remarked, adding “it seems that there is a general tendency of dumping the issues of vital importance by referring the same to committee of Ministers or officers”.
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