Rules violated to acquire land for Gharana wetland
Record of afforestation works’ inspection not being maintained
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 26: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has detected irregular expenditure of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds on the establishments of zoos and acquisition of land for wetland in Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, it has pointed out non-maintenance of record about the inspection of the compensatory afforestation works by the officers of the Forest Department.
The Jammu and Kashmir Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules, 2018 envisage that monies received under Net Present Value (NPV) shall not be utilized for establishment, expansion and up-gradation of zoo and wildlife safari. However, the CAG has detected that two Wildlife Wardens prepared master plan for Jamboo Zoo and Mini Zoo Pahalgam at a cost of Rs 221 crore.
The proposals, forwarded to the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) CAMPA, were laid before the Executive Committee and Steering Committee and approved in March 2016 and June 2017 respectively. The Steering Committee, while deliberating in August 2018 on the activities of CAMPA, decided to stop further funding as Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules prohibit such activity.
However, by this time Rs 15.12 crore had already been spent. When asked by the CAG, the APCCF CAMPA stated in November 2021 that CAMPA Rules applicable at that time did not provide for any restriction on incurring expenditure on zoos and that after restriction was imposed on use of CAMPA money on zoos under CAF Rules 2018, funding for zoos under CAMPA was not allowed. “The fact remained that CAMPA guidelines did not provide for incurring expenditure on creation of zoos”, the CAG has remarked in the report.
As per the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules 2018, monies received under NPV shall not be utilized for purchase of land and Annual Plan of Operations (APOs) should include not less than 80 per cent of project cost for forest and wildlife management and not more than 20 per cent on forest and wildlife related infrastructure and capacity building.
However, the proposal of Wildlife Warden Jammu regarding habitat improvement, management and protection of Gharana Wetland was approved in January 2019 by the Steering Committee at a cost of Rs 13.49 crore. The project cost included Rs 13.20 crore for acquisition of land and establishment of Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP).
“Inclusion of acquisition of land was in contravention to CAF Rules, which together with cost of STP constituted 98 per cent of the project cost. Thus APCCF, CAMPA had irregularly included cost of land and STP in the project cost”, the CAG said, adding “Rs 11.70 crore were transferred in August 2019 to SDM R S Pura for survey, delineation, demarcation and acquisition of land for Gharana wetland. However, as on February 2021 the amount was lying in the J&K Bank Savings account of SDM, R.S Pura”.
When asked by the CAG, the Wildlife Warden Jammu replied that for acquisition of land for development of Gharana wetland Rs 11.70 crore had been approved by the Steering Committee. The APCCF, CAMPA stated in November 2021 that the acquisition of land is provided under Sub rule (2) (h) of Rule 5 of CAF Rules 2018. “The reply is not acceptable as the Sub rule provides for voluntary relocation of villages from protected areas and not for purchase of land”, the supreme audit institution of the country has mentioned in the report.
As per the operational guidelines and instructions issued by CAMPA, Foresters and Range Officers have to inspect 100 per cent of Compensatory Afforestation works. Similarly, DFOs, CFs and CCFs have to inspect minimum of 50, 20 and 10 per cent works respectively. Likewise, CAMPA wing has to inspect works at random.
During audit, it came to the fore that in 18 selected divisions year wise record of inspection of works carried out by officers/officials of the department had not been maintained and in plantation journals inspection notes of DFOs and ROs were not recorded.
The DFOs stated that the Foresters and guards remained present almost all the time during execution of works and Range Officers and DFOs frequently visited and inspected the closures during fencing and plantation. They also assured for maintenance of records in future. The APCCF, CAMPA informed in November 2021 that independent monitoring of CAMPA works executed during 2018-21 by specifically constituted teams was currently in progress.
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