Zudpi Jungle ‘decision’: More loss than gain for Vidarbha

06-03-14

* The region will lose 92,115 Hectares of Zudpi Jungle land for any projects in future as proposal is to notify this land as ‘reserved/protected forest’
* Zudpi Jungle land has not been denotified, only the encroachments and non-forestry uses on said land have been regularised
* No relaxation in payment of NPV for projects on Zudpi Jungle land, as State will have to seek exemption from payment of NPV from the Supreme Court

By Kartik Lokhande
Devil lies in details, it is said. The ‘decision’ announced by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and claim that the years-long Zudpi Jungle issue had been resolved providing a huge respite to Vidarbha region’s projects, is actually a smart ploy to inflict more loss than gain on the region.
The ‘decision’ was presented in such a manner that almost all construed as ‘denotification’ of 86,409 Hectares of Zudpi Jungle land. However, the circular issued by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) does not use the word ‘denotification’ anywhere. It only uses the word ‘diversion’. As an impact of ‘diversion’ of Zudpi Jungle to non-forestry uses, only the encroachments, non-forestry uses on Zudpi Jungle land have been regularised. Besides, the Zudpi land available in fragments of less than three Hectares each, was of no use for forestry purposes. Hence, such fragments have been ‘diverted’ for non-forestry purposes.
The said ‘decision’ has got only one positive angle (apart from regularisation of existing non-forestry use and encroachments) -- 32,229 Hectares of Zudpi land will be available for compensatory afforestation. If a project requires forest land, it has to pay Net Present Value (NPV) as well as pay for compensatory afforestation. Now, 32,229 Hectares of Zudpi Jungle land will be available for compensatory afforestation. That is, the money spent on land required for compensatory afforestation will be saved. Of course, it will save Maharashtra Government’s Rs 5,400 crore. But, it may not necessarily result in saving the money of private entities or industries on compensatory afforestation.
As far as NPV is concerned, the State Government does not have powers to take a decision on exemption. The circular -- issued on March 4, 2014 and brought to the city by Chief Minister himself -- nails the lie of Maharashtra Government that the latest ‘decision’ on Zudpi Jungle will save a few thousands of crores of rupees. On diversion of Zudpi land for non-forestry uses, the circular states clearly, “The approval for these diversions under the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, will be subject to payment of Net Present Value as per the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. If the State Government desires any exemption regarding NPV, the State Government is at liberty to approach the Hon’ble Supreme Court in this regard.”
The overall Zudpi Jungle land thus ‘diverted’ admeasures 86,408 Hectares. However, there is another serious angle to the story. The ‘decision’ means more loss than gain for Vidarbha region, where a lot many projects have been stalled due to Forest Conservation Act (FCA) provisions. In a way, the region has been punished for protecting forests better than other parts of Maharashtra. As per the latest ‘decision’ on Zudpi Jungle land, though 86,409 Hectares is being cleared for non-forestry uses, it paves way for ‘notifying’ 92,115 Hectares of Zudpi Jungle land as ‘reserved/protected forests’. This means, the land that has only scrubs and not big trees will be treated officially as regular forest. And, notifying 92,115 Hectares of land as reserved/protected forest will mean no project whatsoever can ever come up on that land!
The circular signed by Assistant Inspector General of Forests M Rajkumar states, “The State Government will ensure the notification of 92,115 ha of Zudpi Jungle as Reserved Forest/Protected Forest (16,309 ha already notified and 75,806 ha to be notified), which has been considered suitable for forestry management, development and conservation by the High Power Committee.”
Already, there appears to be a conspiracy to deprive Vidarbha region of development. The region is rich in minerals, land, water, and other resources that attract industries. As soon as the region started attracting industries and investment, curiously, the area under reserved/protected forest also increased with declaration of new tiger reserves and sanctuaries. Now, the proposal to ‘notify’ Zudpi Jungle land as reserved/protected forest will further reduce land availability for industrial projects. Besides, it will also convert large swathes of areas into ‘no go’ zones, thus blocking mineral exploration or other projects in the region.

‘How can non-notified
land be denotified?’

Asked about the issue, Principal Secretary (Forests) Pravin Pardeshi told ‘The Hitavada’ that to ‘denotify’ any land, it should be ‘notified’ first. At present, of a total 1,78,525 Hectares of land ‘classified’ as Zudpi Jungle, only 16,309 Hectares is ‘notified’.
Of the remaining non-notified Zudpi Jungle land, already 27,507 Hectares is under encroachment, 26,672 Hectares is under non-forestry uses, and 32,229 Hectares is in fragments of less than three Hectares. “State Government has got permission for diversion of Zudpi Jungle land under encroachments, non-forestry uses, and fragments. The total of this comes out to be 86,409 Hectares,” he said. Also, he added, apart from 16,309 Hectares of notified Zudpi Jungle land, 75,806 Hectares remains to be notified. Now, the State Government has been asked to notify total 92,115 Hectares (16,309 Hectares of notified Zudpi Jungle and 75,806 Hectares remaining to be notified) as reserved/protected forests.
As far as NPV is concerned, Pardeshi said that State Government was not empowered to decide on exemption. State Government would have to seek exemption from payment of NPV from Supreme Court, he said. Asked if the decision would pave way for industrial, mining or developmental projects in Vidarbha, Pardeshi said, “It will. Because, 32,229 Hectares of Zudpi Jungle land which is available in fragments, has been made available for compensatory afforestation.”

District-wise status of Zudpi Jungle (ZJ)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Status of ZJ                                      District-wise area (in Hectares)

                                Nagpur     Wardha     Gadchiroli     Bhandara-Gondia     Chandrapur    Total

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total ZJ                  32,610      22,620         15,060             87,409                      20,825         1,78,525

Notified ZJ               Nil               906           1,323             14,079                       Nil                 16,309

In fragments            6,008         5,326           1,199             12,648                       7,046            32,229

Encroached              1,381            793           5,876             12,719                       6,736            27,507

Non-forestry use   10,009          5,048             326             10,464                           823           26,672

Total non-notified

(Fragments, non-

forestry use, and

encroached)           17,398       11,167            7,401             35,831                      14,605            86,409

To be notified        15,210        10,544           6,333             37,498                        6,219             75,806

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Source: Data-sheet provided in Chief Minister’s press conference)

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