PANAJI
With nearly 252 hectares of forest land diverted for non-forest purposes in the last five years, the Goa government has set up a dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) to create a land bank of degraded forest areas for compensatory afforestation (CA) and streamline forest clearance proposals.
The Forest Department, in a notification, has stated that the PMU has been established at Van Bhawan 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 move assumes significance as data tabled in Parliament shows that 251.97 hectares of forest land in Goa was diverted for non-forest purposes between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
As per the notification, the PMU will “support the creation of land banks to facilitate the user agencies in identifying degraded forest lands for compensatory afforestation and to provide guidance in the preparation and submission of proposals.”
The unit will comprise the Nodal Officer (VSESA), Conservator of Forests (Conservation), Deputy Conservators of Forests from North, South, Kushavati, Wildlife & Eco-Tourism (North and South) and Monitoring & Evaluation. The DCF (Monitoring & Evaluation) will function as the Member Secretary and Drawing and Disbursing Officer.
Government records show that since 1980 till January 31, 2025, Goa has undertaken 3,471.92 hectares of compensatory and penal afforestation against the diversion of 3,566.38 hectares of forest land under the Forest Conservation Act.
During the last financial year, the department had undertaken almost 130 hectares of compensatory afforestation, while 178.49 hectares each has been targeted for 2026-27 and 2027-28.
The State had also received Rs 238 crore under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in August 2019 to support afforestation and other green development initiatives.
