PANAJI
The State government has drawn up a three-year plan to clear the 246.58-ha backlog of compensatory afforestation (CA), proposing to take up the pending plantation works in a phased manner till 2028-29.
As per the annual plan of action approved by National CAMPA, the Forest Department will undertake CA over 80 ha in 2026-27, another 80 ha in 2027-28 and the remaining 86.57 ha in 2028-29, thereby completing the outstanding mandate of 246.58 ha.
The State has earmarked Rs 11.84 cr for compensatory afforestation during the current financial year, besides Rs 2.04 cr for other site-specific activities. The proposals have been approved by National CAMPA.
Goa’s pending CA works are part of a cumulative mandate of 3,566.38 hectares, against which the State has reported afforestation over 3,319.81 hectares.
The department had undertaken nearly 130 hectares of compensatory afforestation during the last financial year.
The backlog, sources said, has been linked to the difficulty in identifying suitable degraded forest land for taking up the afforestation. To address the issue, the Forest Department has now put in place a dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) for creating a land bank of degraded forest areas.
“Degraded forest areas are very difficult to get and hence CAs are getting piled up,” sources said.
The PMU was established following directions from the Forest Conservation Division of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), to address challenges in implementing compensatory afforestation under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 and the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023.
The unit will support the creation of land banks to help user agencies and project proponents identify degraded forest land for compensatory afforestation.
The PMU comprises the Nodal Officer (VSESA), Conservator of Forests (Conservation), and Deputy Conservators of Forests from North, South, Kushavati, Wildlife & Eco-Tourism (North and South), and Monitoring & Evaluation. The DCF (Monitoring & Evaluation) will function as its Member Secretary and Drawing and Disbursing Officer.
Meanwhile, Goa had Rs 345.09 crore available across various CAMPA fund categories as per the 2026 position, including Rs 43.07 crore under CA/PCA/ACA, Rs 2.49 crore under other mandatory activities, Rs 197.80 crore under NPV and Rs 101.73 crore under interest.
