The State Government on Thursday asked the Forest Department to demarcate the boundary of forest areas through Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) survey and erect pillars for line demarcation during implementation of annual plan operation of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority for 2012-13.
The State Government has submitted a proposal of ` 294 crore under annual plan of operation (APO) for 2012-13 to the Centre for undertaking compensatory afforestation. However, the Centre has approved Rs 205 crore.
The State CAMPA has an unspent balance of Rs 60 crore.
A meeting of the State level steering committee of CAMPA chaired by Chief Secretary BK Patnaik on Thursday approved the revised APO of Rs 265 crore for 2012-13.
The major components of the revised APO include conservation, regeneration and management of natural forests, forest protection, infrastructure development, wildlife management and capacity building.
The meeting decided that the system of forest protection squads will be continued in 18 vulnerable areas for which Rs 8.59 crore has been earmarked.
Another Rs 4.45 crore has been earmarked for extending this activity to 14 more additional sites.
The committee has approved extension of fire fighting activity to additional 17 additional divisions. Earlier, it was carried out in 20 divisions.
Forest fire incidences have been reduced by 50 per cent due to continuous fire fighting operations, official sources said.
Chief Secretary instructed the department to saturate basic infrastructure requirement for strengthening the forest range units. An amount of Rs 83 crore has been allotted for this programme.
It was also revealed at the meeting that Rs 83 crore has been allotted for infrastructure development like creation of water bodies for wild animals, construction of malkhanas, seizure yards, causeway, culverts, tubewells, common facility toilets, nurseries, boundary walls, hostels in forest training institutes, office buildings and residential quarters.
It was proposed to develop 400 to 500 permanent nurseries in different districts.
As per the progress card under CAMPA programme, soil and moister conservation has been done in over 1.38 lakh hectares, silvicultural operations in over 1.54 lakh hectares while the bamboo forest has been regenerated in over one lakh hectares and block plantation completed in 32,683 hectares.
The Forest Department was asked to submit annual plan of operation for 2013-14 within two months.