BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s ongoing geo-referencing project has achieved significant milestones in securing forest land and bolstering conservation efforts, said Siddhant Das, chairman of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Das, who reviewed the progress of the project in the state on Monday, said the Supreme Court had directed digitisation of forest boundaries in 2011. Odisha is the only state which has done it in a very systematic way involving both the Forest and Revenue departments in the exercise, he said.
“Considering Odisha’s success in implementation of the project and potential, the review meeting on progress of state’s geo-referencing of forest land was taken up,” Das said.
The geo-referencing project, to accurately demarcate the forest boundaries, was taken up by the Odisha government in 2019 in line with Supreme Court’s judgment in Lafarge case in 2011. Owing to Covid-19 pandemic, the project work was hampered for nearly two years.
Forest department sources said as part of the project, approximately 95 per cent of the 60,000 square kilometre of forest land spread over 4,500 forest blocks in the state have already been geo-referenced, while the remaining will be completed soon, providing precise boundary demarcation, to achieve multiple objectives that include protection of forest lands, safeguarding the rights of tribal communities, facilitating the collection of non-timber forest produce by forest-fringe dwellers, and expediting developmental projects by clearly demarcating forest boundaries.
Additionally, the initiative will help resolve conflicts over forest land usage which have delayed infrastructure and development activities in the state for decades, the Forest department sources said.
The lack of accurate records of forest land has often caused delays in developmental projects. However, by ensuring accurate mapping, the state can protect tribal rights, prevent encroachments, and facilitate sustainable development, said additional chief secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Satyabrata Sahu. He said the initiative, undertaken under the guidance of the MoEFCC, is nearing its final phase. The project aligns with the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 which mandates central government approval for non-forest activities on forest land.