Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday proposed in the Assembly to set up a committee to protect forests and also to prevent encroachment of forest lands with all-party members and environmental experts even as the Opposition Congress and BJP demanded constitution of a House panel to go into the implementation of Haritha Haaram programme.
Replying the short discussion on Haritha Haaram, the Chief Minister stated that the government would table a third party audit report in the House on the programme – on the component of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme under which ₹1,307 crore was spent on raising nurseries and taking up plantation. Another ₹700 crore was spent from State budget and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds on the plantation drive.
Even after repeated efforts to get the release of over ₹1,500 crore funds due to the State under CAMPA, the Centre could give only ₹304 crore so far, he noted and said while the previous Congress government had spent ₹130 crore on afforestation measures during 2004-15, the TRS Government had spent ₹2,008 crore in less than four years as it has the resolve and commitment to increase the forest cover in the State.
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On Congress and BJP demand for House committee to find lapses in the implementation of Haritha Haaram, the Chief Minister said it should be considered a great success even if it achieves 30% to 50% success considering the problems in survival of plants till they reach a safe stage.
The members present term would not be enough if they go on enumerating survived plants, he remarked. Against planting 3.17 crore saplings during 2004-14, 81.57 crore sapling were planted during the last three years, he noted.
Referring to CPI (M) member Sunnam Rajaiah's contention that tribals were forced away from their 'podu' lands in Adilabad, Bhupalapally, Bhadradri and other districts, the Chief Minister said nobody could snatch lands from tribals and the incidents mentioned were related only to regaining the encroached forest lands. He stated that 'Gutti Koya' tribals from Chhattisgarh had migrated to neighbouring areas in Telangana and resorted to indiscriminate chopping of trees for taking up cultivation in forest lands with the support of Left parties.
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Earlier, D.K. Aruna (Congress) and Ch. Ramachandra Reddy (BJP) demanded constitution of house panel while Akbaruddin Owaisi asked the government to set up an advisory committee with retired forest officers, scientists, environmentalists, ecologists and sociologists to guide Haritha Haaram properly. R. Krishnaiah (TDP) suggested bringing in a legislation making government permission compulsory to cut any tree as an effective measure to prevent reduction in green cover.