BHUBANESWAR: The Government on Tuesday asked the Vana Surakhya Samitis to expedite the projects taken up under Orissa Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP) and fully utilise the funds sanctioned without waiting for extension of the project. Presiding over a high-power committee meeting on OFSDP, Chief Secretary BK Patnaik advised the Forest Department to consolidate the knowledge and experience gained from various innovative projects developed and implemented under the overseas-assisted programme and incorporate those experiences in the training courses of Forest Training Colleges for future benefit. The meeting which reviewed the progress achieved under OFSDP strongly recommended provision of non-formal education on eco-tourism in areas covered under Vana Surakshya Samiti (VSS) and the target group should be school drop-outs and illiterate adults.ECO-TOURISM: The issue of eco-tourism in sanctuary areas was also discussed and the Chief Secretary reportedly advised the planners of eco-tourism to make the process simple so that people coming from far off places will find no difficulty during their tour to such places. The meeting was informed that a draft plan on eco-tourism in sanctuary areas had been circulated among concerned Government departments seeking their views. The meeting revealed that restoration of degraded forest was completed in 1.96 lakh hectares and coastal plantation has been completed over an area of 2,600 out of 2,800 hectares. The OFSDP which is being implemented with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is currently implemented in 10 districts. The project started in 2006-07 with a cost of ` 659 crore is slated to end in 2012-13. The Government has so far utilised ` 361 crore. The Government is planning for extension of the project and the Forest Department is reported to have moved the overseas agency in this regard. The Government wants consolidation of the project’s results and make it sustainable. Currently, it is being implemented in 14 forest and wildlife divisions of the State. Under the extension plan, another 600 VSSs and Eco Development Clubs (EDCs) are proposed to be covered over and above the projected target of 2,275. Similarly, against the original target of 4,550 SHGs, the project, if extended, will cover a total of 5,800 groups. The SHGs are supported for income generation activities. The Forest Department is also looking at bringing an additional 43,000 hectare of degraded forests for restoration under the extended project. The restoration will be carried out in the joint forest management (JFM) mode.
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