Alappuzha: The Union Environment Ministry’s decision to frame rules, within a month, to help States use a Rs 40,000-crore corpus earmarked to restore forests, would be a major boost for the conservation of sacred groves across the state. Making of these rules are a follow-up to the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill passed by Parliament in the monsoon session. NN Gopikuttan, Secretary of the Kerala Kavu Paristhithi Samrakshana Samithi, welcomed the decision. The Samithy had earlier approached the state government and district panchayats to earmark a permanent fund for conserving groves.
Mr Gopikuttan accused the state forest department of diverting earlier funds provided by the Centre. A report prepared by the Committee chaired by former state Minister for Forest Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, tabled in the Assembly session on March 10 last year, had revealed indiscriminate grazing in groves in the state for the last few decades. According to the Union Environment Ministry, when the new rules come into being, most Indian States will receive Rs 6,000 crore per annum for conservation, protection, improvement and expansion of forest and wildlife resources.
The money will be utilised to restock and improve degraded forest. These rules come at a time when the state committee report had cited destruction of sacred groves amid massive constructions in place of ancestral homes. Alappuzha district has at least 1200 sacred groves, the top in the state. Mr TP Ramachandra Panickar, former district president of the Samithi, also accused the government of channelizing the fund, which is being allotted by the Central government for years, for other purposes.
“The Centre was giving Rs 1 cr every year. Even though sacred groves have seen massive destruction over the years, the authorities had not set up a system where a stakeholder can reach funds. This new central government fund should be used for conservation of forests immediately. The renovation of small temples attached to the groves should also be supported”, he demanded.
