SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department has disposed of 17,608 salvable trees with a combined volume of 23.04 lakh cubic feet of dry, diseased and fallen timber in the Pir Panjal region between 2023-24 and 2026-27, according to a Government reply in the J&K Assembly.
The timber was disposed of in accordance with the prescribed norms, with the Government stating that the exercise covered the period from 2023-24 to 2026-27 (till date).
The figures were provided by the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department in response to an Unstarred Assembly Question No. 1/6/140 tabled by Pirzada Farooq Ahmad Shah, MLA from Gulmarg, regarding CAMPA projects and the salvage and utilisation of forest trees in the Pir Panjal region.
The Government said it intends to generate Rs 5,140.10 lakh (Rs 51.40 crore) from timber extracted or proposed to be extracted through the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Development Corporation Limited (JKFDC/L) and Kashmir Forest notices during the four financial years from 2023-24 to 2026-27.
The revenue generation covers timber disposal during the stated period, with the department following a mechanism involving auctions, sale depots and distribution through Concessional Timber Sale Depots (CTSDs) operated by J&K FDCL.
The Government said timber is being sold through J&K FDCL auctions and sale depots, while eligible consumers can obtain timber through CTSDs in accordance with notified rates.
The applicable rates are governed by Government Order No. 365-FST of 2018 dated 22 November 2018 and JKFDCL Order No. 503 of 2022 dated 28 October 2022.
The department said the disposal mechanism is intended to facilitate the utilisation of salvable timber and realisation of revenue under the applicable rules and rates.
The Assembly question also sought details of projects sanctioned or approved under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in Jammu and Kashmir during the last three financial years, including those specifically concerning the Gulmarg constituency and the funds sanctioned or released.
The extracted material provided for this question does not contain the project-wise CAMPA figures or the corresponding funding table, so those details have not been added here.
The reply was signed by the Minister In-charge, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, and the Under Secretary to the Government, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department.
