In 10 states, compensatory afforestation violating forest rights and conservation laws
Photo: In many areas, plantations were fenced off, blocking access of local communities to the forest. Credit: Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava / Flickr
All the 52 compensatory afforestation plantations in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha were taken up on community forest lands.
Plantations carried out under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in 10 states are in violations of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), revealed a report titled “Impact of Compensatory Afforestation On Land and Forest Rights: An Interim Report”. The report was released on November 14.