The most critical aspect of mismanagement though relates to diversionof forest land for mining. The report states “While granting permission fordiversion of forest land for mining, GOI conditions include fencing, mitigatedmeasures to minimize soil erosion, etc. A test check of 24 out of 26 casesapproved by North and South Divisions revealed that periodic inspections ofmines were not done to ensure compliance to GOI conditions”.
The report reveals that the Forest Department did not verify the claimof non-working mines based on the inspections carried out by the staff andofficers of the department.
Moreover, no control registers were maintained, indicating the positionof compliance by mine owners and follow up action by the divisions in case ofdefault. The Report also makes a mention of how despite a Supreme CourtJudgment to back its claim regarding Compensatory Afforestation, the ForestDepartment could not realise penal CA charges amounting to Rs 3.70 crorefrom M/s V.S. Dempo and Company Private Limited with respect to three mines.According to norms laid down, Compensatory Afforestation should be done over anequivalent area of non-forest land or double the degraded forest land in casenon forest land is not available, in order to compensate for the adverseeffects of diversion of green forest land.
In North Goa only 35% of the 1449.97 square metres used was afforestedsince 1983, whereas in the South there was an improvement at 82%. On anaverage, Goa’s Forest cover was compensated by just 58%, when the compensationshould have been at least 100%.
The debris of mismanagement grows larger. The Department on an averagesent its proposals for grants 119 days after the deadline. From 2006-11, itdemanded Rs. 82.74 crore per annum from Union Ministry of Forests andEnvironment, and received only Rs. 39.50 crores. In the same period as againstMoEF’s sanction of Rs. 196.51 crores, over Rs. 79.81 crores was left unspent.Most importantly, none of the works had completion certificates, while a utilizationcertificate was submitted in only 49% of the cases.
