Why afforestation funds used to buy laptop, iPhone? SC to Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to the Uttarakhand govt spending

compensatory afforestation

funds and penalties paid for diversion of forest land, that were to be utilised for re-creation of forest, for purchase of laptops, iPhones, fridges and coolers, and sought the state govt's response within a fortnight.
Amicus curiae and senior advocate K Parameshwar placed the CAG report on utilisation of the CAMPA funds before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran. The report said: "At the divisional level, Rs 13.9 crore were diverted/expended on inadmissible activities like state scheme-Harella, tiger safari work, renovation of existing buildings, expenses on personage visits, court cases, purchases of iPhone, laptops, fridges, coolers, stationary, etc."
The bench said, "Utilisation of huge funds from CAMPA for such inadmissible items and activities is a serious matter. We direct the chief secretary to file an affidavit by March 19 explaining how such huge funds were spent on such activities. If we do not get a satisfactory answer, we may require his personal presence in court on March 20."
Diversion of CAMPA funds to the tune of Rs 2.7 cr was made at Kalagarh Tiger Reserve for construction of internal path/six-metre-wide tiger safari road, modernisation of forest rest house, construction of forest guard chowkis and elephant protection wall, watch towers as well as removal of lantana. The CAG said, "These activities were not permissible under Rule 5(4) of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund rules and conditions in the approved Annual Plan Operations by National Authority." The CAG evaluates the effectiveness of CAMPA and implementing agencies during 2019-22 in implementing the Act and Rules made thereunder.

The CAG also flagged the inequitable distribution of CAMPA funds. It said, "The release of funds was unrealistic and not commensurate with the approved Annual Plan of Operations. The state authority failed to ensure equitable and need based funding of activities in all the implementing agencies."
"There was inefficiency/ineffectiveness in funds release, not adopting accounting procedures as per Compensatory Afforestation Fund rules and not discharging of interest liability. Besides, the state authority did not control the diversion/inadmissible expenditure from the state compensatory afforestation fund," it added.
The CAG also noticed that the afforestation activities in the state have yielded low returns. "The overall average survival percentage of plantations was 33.5% which is lower than the mandated 60 to 65%. In the test checked three divisions - Nainital, Pithoragarh and Rudraprayag, the survival rate at plantation sites was very low mainly because of non-suitability of the landscape or poor advance soil work before plantation," it said.