Funds for forest sector 'highly inadequate': Minister

Jammu and Kashmir Forest minister Choudhary Lal Singh today said that the fund allocation for the sector was "highly inadequate" and it amounted to just 0.04 per cent of the total state Budget.
The minister was speaking during a debate on 'Demand for Grants of the Forest, Ecology, Environment and allied departments' in the state Legislative Assembly.
There is a requirement of around Rs 10,000 crore for treating 9,00,000 hectares of degraded forest area of the state and at the rate of present funding, it would take more than 350 years to rehabilitate the area, Singh claimed.
"Keeping in view the massive mandate of the department including protection and conservation of flora and fauna and the goods and services being provided along with the ecological security of the state, the fund allocation for the forest sector is highly inadequate. It amounts to 0.04 per cent of the total state Budget," he said

On January 11, Finance minister Haseeb Drabu unveiled a Rs 80,313 crore budget for the 2018-19 financial year and of this, Rs 29,128 crore was for capital spending.
The House today passed grants of Rs 79,909.69 lakh for the forest, ecology and environment department.

Listing the targets achieved for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's forest cover, ecological balance and revival of wildlife,the minister informed the House that in past one year the department had retrieved around 1.35 lakh kanal of encroached forest land.
The department has also planted 2 cr saplings to revitalise degraded forests and minimise human intervention, he said.

Citing statistics, Singh said that as on date out of the 20,230 sq km forest area, about 9,000 sq km of area was degraded due to unabated human intervention.
He said 19,100 hectares of forest area was under encroachment as on April 1, 2016,of which 1.35 lakh kanal had been retrieved till December 2017.
In a first, the department has brought Chinar to Jammu province by planting around 40,000 saplings raised by the State Forest Research Institute, Jammu, Singh said.
To effectively deal with forest fires and minimise the damage, he said the department has provided modern equipment along with fire proof uniforms to its staff.

He said that due to close coordination among all the wings of the department and quick response, forest fire incidents have reduced in the last two years.
Listing major achievement of Wildlife Protection Department, the minister said that after six decades, the Sheep Breeding Farm located at the Dachigam National Park in Srinagar has been shifted, thereby restoring 2,000 kanalof land back to the reserve.
"The restored area is being developed as a core habitat for Hangul (stag) where about 1 lakh fruit bearing and conifer species have been planted. The sheep farm was a major impediment for the Hangul and its breeding," he said.

The department is also considering to declare the Tral area as a wildlife sanctuary for the conservation of Hangul by way of connecting natural corridors, Singh said.
He said that the department is in the process of developing the Jambu and Pahalgam zoos at an estimate cost of Rs 121 cr and Rs 100 cr respectively.
The House was informed that 401 kanal of land in the Gharana Wetland Reserve had also been identified and demarcated in consultation with the revenue department thereby paving its restoration.
Emphasis has been laid on revival and restoration of wetlands particularly in Hokersar, Shallabugh and Hygamand, he said.

Incidents of human-animal conflicts have shown a downward trend as compared to previous years and 41 control rooms have been established to effectively deal with such situations, Singh said.
The minister said 98 per cent demarcation of the Wullar Lake has also been completed.
In Ladakh, various steps have been taken for habitat management of key species including Black Necked cranes and snow leopard besides,four rescue centres at Poonch, Kathua, Kishtwar and Leh will also be established.