CAG: Rs 13.9 crore meant for Uttarakhand forests diverted to buy iPhones, fridges

DEHRADUN: Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's audit on the compensatory afforestation fund management and planning authority (CAMPA) from July 2019 to Nov 2022 has found that Rs 13.9 crore meant for afforestation was used for unrelated activities including purchases of , laptops, fridges, coolers, and stationery.
Compensatory afforestation is mandated when forest land is allocated for non-forest purposes like industry or infrastructure projects, requiring tree plantation on an equivalent land parcel.
The report revealed that in Uttarakhand's forest divisions, funds meant for compensatory afforestation were diverted to "inadmissible activities", including the state's Harela scheme, tiger safari work, renovation of buildings, expenses on official visits, court cases, and purchases of gadgets and stationery.
The audit also flagged 52 cases where 188.6 hectares of forest land were diverted for non-forest use by user agencies (UAs). Despite lacking permission, UAs began road construction on forest land, and forest divisions failed to act or register these as offences.
The report also threw light on delays in compensatory afforestation, noting that in 37 cases, implementation began eight years after final approval, leading to a cost escalation of Rs 11.5 crore. CAMPA guidelines require afforestation within a year or two after fund allocation. Additionally, the survival rate of planted trees was only 33.5%, significantly below the 60-65% benchmark set by the Forest Research Institute.
The audit revealed that in five divisions, 1,204 hectares of land were unsuitable for compensatory afforestation, indicating that suitability certificates issued by divisional forest officers (DFOs) were inaccurate and granted without proper assessment. No action was taken against the concerned DFOs for this negligence. "CAMPA's CEO disbursed funds to forest divisions and implementing agencies between July 2020 and Nov 2021 without requisite approval from the head of forest force, as mandated by the principal secretary (forests) in July 2020," the CAG report added.