ITANAGAR, 16 Feb: A group of four individuals has requested Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who is also the chairman of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management Authority (CAMPA), to lodge a complaint over “mismanagement of CAMPA scheme in the state.”
On 9 February, the four individuals, namely, Tai Shiva, Tawa Yomdo, Nibo Pao and Tai Abu, lodged an FIR with the Special Investigation Cell (Vigilance) over alleged “multi-crore scams in the CAMPA.”
The letter mentioned that “the CAMPA fund meant for compensatory afforestation was used by illegal means.”
Addressing mediapersons at the press club here on Friday, Shiva claimed that “there has been gross mismanagement of the CAMPA scheme in the state,” and specifically mentioned areas in Doimukh, such as Tumru, Chiputa, Mani and other villages, “wherein geotagging has been falsely done, showing fully forest green areas for compensatory afforestation.”
He questioned whether the plots of land have been notified as being de-reserved, and said that, “from tomorrow (Saturday), we are going to start with the Itanagar Capital Region, where plots of land are being geotagged, declaring them non-forest lands.”
“These plots are already a settlement area,” he said.
Citing the Parvesh portal of the environment, forest & climate change ministry, “wherein the RTI sources have been revealed,” Tai said that “it has revealed that 499 forest clearances have been prepared for diversion of forest lands for non-forest purposes, such as constriction of national highways, the Trans-Arunachal Highway roads, hydropower projects, and other projects in the state, which is illegally done by fraudulent means and in gross violation of the Forest (Conservation) Rules and Guidelines for Compensatory Afforestation.
He said that “there has been misuse of funding in the CAMPA funding since 2011 to 2023. An amount of Rs 39,84,87,90,321 was deposited by the user agencies for compensatory afforestation works over the degraded lands against the diverted forest lands for the construction of different projects in the state.”
The quartet said also that “a sum amounting to rupees one thousand two hundred sixty crore, forty two lakhs and seventy one thousand has been released by the MoEFCC as CAMPA fund here in the state from year to year, as part of the compensatory afforestation works against the diverted forest lands for constructing various projects.”
Responding to mediapersons, Shiva said that he had earlier also lodged a complaint with the state’s Lokayukta, “but it was of no help.”
He added that he had written a letter to the CBI also on the same issue, “but the CBI transferred the case to the chief secretary, and the chief secretary further transferred the same to the state forest department.”
Shiva continued: “We have made the complaint to the state forest department, and the same has followed back to the department itself from the state’s chief secretary.”
“I am requesting Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who is also the chairman of the CAMPA, and Environment & Forest Minister Mama Natung to look into the issue seriously.
“If not, we are soon moving on to the court. We will also be knocking the doors of the National Green Tribunal,” he declared.
