As per a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Uttar Pradesh’s grand plantation drives have not adhered to plans, have been improperly monitored, and have led to a decrease in forest cover.
Since 2017, the state’s BJP government has undertaken large-scale plantation drives with a target of planting 101.35 crore saplings between 2016-17 and 2021-22.
The Performance Audit Report of the CAG of India on Afforestation and Social Forestry Programme Government of Uttar Pradesh has not accepted the state’s response that plantation plans were prepared but its approval was delayed. As per the National Forest Policy, valid plans for afforestation must be prepared two years in advance of the expiry of the current plan.
This lack of a plan has meant that even in the state capital of Lucknow, in four out of eight blocks, even identification of nurseries which were to receive saplings for plantation was not carried out.
The audit has found that plantation work has been carried out by vehicles bearing false numbers. Also, the number of saplings raised in nurseries has been above the approved number. In one of the audit areas for the latter, it was found that an excess of saplings were planted to make up for dead ones and subsequently the number of saplings planted was inflated. This inflated number is also upheld by the fact that plantation activity in excess of the available area has been marked in some forest blocks.
Moreover, this ‘excess’ area was not necessarily with less forest density, open and with degraded forest area as per prescriptions by the Ministry of Forest.
This has meant that UP, which as per its Forest Policy Plan of 2017, was to bring 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover has seen a decrease in 100 sq km between 2017 and 2021.
The state also shows up poorly in compensatory forestry where trees are planted to make up for forest land diverted for other uses. In one example, in Kaimoor Wildlife Forest Division, Mirzapur though regular expenditure was being made on the maintenance of planted saplings, there had been no discernible increase in the forest cover as examined by satellite imagery.
Despite plans to enhance forest cover, the budgetary allocation was not commensurate with the proposed increase in plantation activities. Where plantation was achieved, the Rural Development Department failed to ensure that the saplings survived.
