Drawn in 2015, the Centrally-backed ‘Nagar Van Udyan Yojana’ or city forest scheme has encountered some serious issues in Jharkhand. It is learnt that the scheme, which intends to provide forest ambiance within the periphery of urban settlements in the form of ‘green lungs’, is facing crisis of forest land, one of the prime conditions put the Centre.
A highly placed source in the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department told The Pioneer that proposals sent in this regard to various forest divisions of the State could not bear results due to the difficulty.
“We had identified five urban local bodies of Jharkhand and sent the respective forest divisions the proposals to identify forest land in the vicinity of the cities. But it is learnt that land belonging to forest is not available as per the desired measurement within the city boundary or around. So far no progress could be made on that front,” said AK Pandey, Additional Chief Conservator of Forest who is holding charge of CAMPA in the State.
The scheme, launched in 2015, pledges to carve out 200 such city forests across the country, aiming to upgrade civic facilities and greenery around class-I cities having population over 10 lakh. The spots should necessarily be at the vicinity of the city selected so that it can be accessible to the residents besides, being suitably manageable in terms of recreational activities, biodiversity conservation, positive effect on city pollution and for regular uses.
Following the decision, the State Government sent proposals to respective forest divisions of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Deoghar where the city forests on at least 20 hectares of land have to be developed.
“The conditions put there necessarily ask for forest land which is hardly available in these cities and that also measuring between 100 hectares and 20 hectares on a trot. Since the idea is to develop the stretch as ecological and natural hotspot within the city there cannot be any altercation like encroachment or discontinuity. We are still awaiting the response or any changed position of the Centre in this regard,” said a senior official of the Department.
However, the Department has seen some silver lining in dark clouds. “The hurdle is difficult to scale up in the five cities selected in the State. But a Bill amending provisions of CAMPA, under which the scheme is to be rolled out, has been passed by both the lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. We expect that the condition of getting only forest land for the purpose would be waived. If it happens in the days to come, the ‘Nagar Van Udyan Yojna’ can become a reality here,” added Mishra.
The scheme is supported by the Centre with 80 per cent grant. Any civic body can spend maximum Rs 2 crore on a ‘Nagar Van Udyan’. Besides fencing, the city forests would have facilities of on-site nursery, composting plants, botanical garden, herbal and medicinal garden, biodiversity parks along with own irrigational network, water conservation sites, jogging tracks and natural trails.