In a bid to streamline the Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority (CAMPA) fund, the Environment Ministry has further on Tuesday launched an
e-payment module for prompt and transparent payment of compensatory levies in lieu of diversion of forest land in the country .
launching the module Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, said “the use of technology will end unnecessary delays in the deposit of compensatory levies. The process will also simplify administrative procedures, without compromising on environmental safeguards.”
Whenever development projects seek land within a Reserved Forest or a Protected Area as for instance a national park or sanctuary, certain levies are imposed on the project proponent. This money is to be utilised to plant trees elsewhere, ostensibly to compensate for the loss of forest.
Accordingly, the payment through the e-payment module has to be made to the designated account, depending on the State in which the forest land, proposed to be diverted, is located. The deposit of compensatory levies through the e-portal will be optional till August 31, 2015. However, the payment of compensatory levies by User Agencies will be accepted only through the e-module from September 1, 2015.
After the activation of the e-payment portal, no payments will be accepted other than through the portal, unless specifically ordered by CAMPA committee. Initially, payments will be permitted through two modes - online challan mode through RTGS and NEFT and offline challan mode.
The CAMPA had been created by the Supreme Court by Order in October 2002.. Before Stage II (final approval) under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, CAMPA committee is first required to certify whether the compensatory levies have been credited to the respective accounts.
So far, the verification of receipt of compensatory levies in the Ad-hoc CAMPA has been done manually, involving various steps and is a time-taking process. The launch of e-payment module will end such delays.
Over the last 10 years, a corpus of Rs35,000 crore has accrued from such levies The Ministry has however decided to release 90 per cent of this money to States for carrying out afforestation projects.