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Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has asked the forest and environment department to demarcate boundary of forest areas through DGPS (digital global positioning system) survey and post the pillars on ground for line demarcation during the implementation of APO 2012-13, official sources said today.
It was decided in the state level steering committee meeting of the Compensatory Aforestation fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) under the chairmanship of chief secretary B K Patnaik.
The department has also been asked to complete construction of their infrastructural requirement. The Annual Plan of Operations (APO) of Rs 294 Crore for 2012-13 was submitted to the union government by the state level steering committee earlier.
Meanwhile, the Centre has accorded approval for Rs 205 crore. The state CAMPA has Rs 60 crore available with it. The committee today approved the Revised APO for 2012-13 of worth Rs 265 crore. The main components of the revised APO include conservation, regeneration, management of natural forests, forest protection, infrastructural development, wild life management and capacity building.
It has also been decided that the system of forest protection squads will be continued in 18 vulnerable areas for which Rs 859 lakhs have been earmarked. Another Rs 445 lakhs has been earmarked for extending this activity to 14 more additional sites.
Similarly, earlier fire fighting was carried on in 20 divisions. The committee has approved for extension of this activity to 17 additional divisions. It was reported in the meeting that because of continued fire fighting operations the fire incidences during last year has been reduced by 50 per cent.
Patnaik asked the department to saturate basic infrastructure requirement for strengthening the forest range units during APO 2012-13. An amount of Rs 83 crore has been allotted towards this. The main infrastructural works proposed include development of water bodies for wild animals, construction of malkhnas, seizure yards, causeway, culverts , tube wells, common facility toilets, nurseries, boundary walls, hostels in forest training institutes, office buildings, residential quarters and others.
Development commissioner J K Mohapatra suggested the department to develop permanent nurseries at district, sub-division and block levels with year-round activities of growing the seedlings so that the forest creation activities become a part of the rural livelihood.
It was proposed to develop 400 to 500 such permanent nurseries as per the demand.
CAMPA has been in operation in State from January, 2010.
