Government of
Andhra Pradesh
(Forest Department)
Rc.No.33820/2004/G.1
Date: 26 .01.2005
|
O/o Prl. Chief Conservator
of Forests - Andhra Pradesh – Hyderabad -1
|
SRI S.K. DAS, IFS.,
PRINCIPAL CHIEF CONSERVATOR
OF FORESTS
CIRCULAR
NO. 1-A/2004/G.1
Sub: Andhra Pradesh Forest Department - SMC works
in forest area -
Saturation level water shed treatment
- SUJALAM-SUPHALAM -
Workshop held on 17-18th December 2004
in the office of the
Prl. Chief Conservator of Forests
- Certain clarifications and guidelines issued - Regarding.
Ref: 1. Circular
No.5 & 5-A/2002/PMU.I/3 communicated in Prl.CCF's
ref.no.17309/2000/PMU.I/3, dated
23.8.2002
2. Circular No.6/2003/PMU.III/2 communicated
in Prl.CCF's
ref.no. 4483/02/PMU.III/2, dated 15. 07.2003
3. Circular No.2/J.4/2004 communicated
in Rc.No.16284/2003/J4,
dated 08.03.2004
4. Circular No.1/2004/G.1 communicated
in Prl.CCF's
ref.no.33820/04/G.1, dated 11.10.2004
5. Prl.CCF ref.no.19427/2004/G.1, dated
22.12.2004
***
The Forest Department aims at alleviation of Rural Poverty
through sustainable management of forests with the involvement
of the local community.
2. One of the strategies to achieve this
lofty goal is to treat the forest areas on watershed basis to
saturation level. Accordingly
several instructions have been issued in the references cited.
3. In the workshop held on 17-18th December,
2004 the field level functionaries posed a few problems which
are coming in the way of treating the forest areas / watershed
to saturation level. The
problems are as follows:-
(a)
The manual rate of excavation as per the PWD SSR is not workable.
(b) The existing instruction is to carry
out the work manually and there
is a ban on use of machines.
(c) In APCFM Project area there is a
ceiling on expenditure for carrying out
SMC works and this is coming in the way of carrying out saturation level
watershed treatment even where
the wage rate is low.
(d) The existing instruction from the
Head Office not to spend
fund from
different projects in the same
VSS area i.e. if in a VSS area SMC work is
being carried out under APCFM
project, no fund from any other project
like RIDF (SMC) can be spent.
4. After detailed discussion, it has
been decided that Government will be approached for allowing the
Department to use machines for carrying out SMC works in the areas
where it is feasible to utilize the machines.
In this regard, Government order is likely to be received
within a few days.
5. Regarding inadequacy of manual rate
in PWD SSR, the Rural Development Department is seized of the
issue. They retained the consultancy of Engineering
Staff College of India to collect the data and it is understood
that the data has been collected, processed and approval of the
appropriate rate is under consideration by the Government. The
order in this regard is likely to be issued within a short time.
6. Regarding the ceiling on expenditure
under APCFM Project it has been clarified in the workshop that
wherever it is essential to exceed the limit to achieve saturation
level watershed treatment, the field level functionaries are permitted
to do so under APCFM Project.
However, while treating the watershed in VSS area under
APCFM Project, if certain portion of the watershed is outside
the VSS area, such area should be treated under RIDF.
In this regard it may however be noted
that the quantity and type of SMC works / structures per unit
area in different locations is neither equal nor of the same type
as it depends on the topography, rainfall, soil etc., and the
officers will see to it that cost effective structures with appropriate
technology are only used to achieve the saturation level watershed
treatment in order to observe economy.
7. It has further been clarified that
in the VSS area other than under APCFM project, RIDF (SMC) fund
can also be utilized if the amount provided under the Project
is not adequate to achieve saturation level treatment.
However, the area being treated under
different schemes may be demarcated clearly on the ground by creating
a fire line/sector line etc.
Thus the VSS areas either under APCFM
project or under FDA will not have any fund constraint to treat
on watershed basis upto saturation level. However, only one Measurement
Book has to be maintained for a particular VSS area for all SMC
works irrespective of source of fund.
8. Since the instructions/clarifications
issued in the reference 5th cited do not conform to the above
outcomes of the workshop, the reference is withdrawn.
9. The Conservators of
Forests/Divisional Forest Officers are requested to -
(1)
divide the forest / VSS areas into watersheds and treat them to
saturation level,
(2)
carry out certain works manually, and certain other works by machines
in the
easily accessible discharge
area.
(3)
Once the Government approves the revised manual rate and machine
is
permitted to carry out the SMC works,
all efforts should be made by
them to achieve
substantial progress within a short time.
(4)
All the officers are requested to keep the Plan of Action ready
for
immediate implementation once the order
of the Government is received.
(5)
note that if any area is treated upto saturation level, a perennial tank
will be created
in the discharge area necessarily. This is the test of saturation
level treatment.
(6) In addition
to a perennial tank in the forest/watershed area it may be a good idea to provide a tank
to a village where there is water scarcity under Village Development Programme (CFM) / Entry
Point Activity
(FDA). This may however be decided after thorough discussion
with the villagers.
(7)
Water is the starting point for development and the officers
are requested
not to over-look this point for the
villages located near the forest area.
Sd/- (S.K.
DAS)
PRINCIPAL CHIEF CONSERVATOR OF FORESTS
To
All the Conservators of Forests
All the Divisional Forest officers
Copy to All the Additional Principal
Chief Conservators of Forests/Chief Conservators of Forests for
information and necessary action.
Copy to File No.50270//2004/PMU.I/2
Copy to Circular Stock file.
//t.c.b.o//
Technical Officer