Agartala, Mar 25 (PTI) The Tripura government has decided to check the forest area in the state following reports that the green cover has come down because of various reasons, including “incorrect implementation” of a 2006 Act.

As the state government found that a section of forest dwellers have been harming the woods, the administration also decided to launch awareness programmes among them on how to earn their livelihood by protecting jungles, state Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma told PTI.

According to the Forest Survey of India’s (FSI) latest data released in December last year, the net loss of forest cover in two years stood at 95.31 sq km in the northeastern state.

Debbarma, however, said that the survey was aerially conducted using satellites and its data sometimes does not match the ground situation.

“I asked the department to extensively check the state’s forest cover at ground level and submit a status report. Any reduction in forest cover is serious. Action will be taken against those who are liable for reduction in forest cover,” he said.

Debbarma did not hide his dismay over the way the Recognition of Forest (Rights) Act, 2006, (RoFR) was implemented in Tripura.

“In many areas, the forest dwellers who got right over the forest land, have carried out demarcation on their own. I had held meetings with the tribal welfare department and revenue department over the demarcation of forestland under the Act,” he said.

The minister said the department wants to conduct demarcation to streamline the whole process.

“There was no demarcation before handing over the rights to the forest dwellers under RoFR. Even fencing was not done during the handing over process of the forestland. The government wants to implement the Act under the legislation,” he said.

The Left Front government has started distributing land deeds under the RoFR since 2008.

“There are ways to earn livelihood by saving forest cover. We will encourage the forest dwellers to go for massive bamboo plantations to maintain check and balance between livelihood and protecting forest cover. Bamboo-based products have great demand,” Debbarma said.

According to the FSI report, the forest cover in Tripura has been reduced from 7680.08 sq km in 2021 to 7584.77 sq km in 2023.

Various reasons have been attributed to the fall in green cover in the state, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest S K Samal told PTI.

“The problem is those given the land rights over reserve forest areas have been using the plots as per their choice leading to steep reduction in forest cover,” he said.

Samal stated under various schemes rubber plantations have been raised in reserved forest areas which also resulted in decline in forest cover.

“In many areas, trees have been replaced by rubber plantations. A sizable forestland has also been diverted for rehabilitation of the Bru community people,” the officer said.

A large number of Bru families have migrated to Tripura from neighbouring Mizoram since the late 1990s because of ethnic strife. Over 6,900 Bru families have been given permanent land to live in following an agreement in 2020.

Samal also held the traditional shifting cultivation responsible for the decline in forest cover in the state’s hilly areas.

“Despite all-out efforts to arrest shifting cultivation in hilly areas, the traditional practice continues in tribal areas. It causes high soil loss and affects the ecological balance”, he said.

“The Tripura Forest Development Corporation Ltd has started cutting the rubber trees to pave the way for a new plantation. It is also another ground for reducing forest cover,” he stated.

To augment the dwindling forest cover, the department has been implementing a major afforestation drive across the state.

“Our target is to plant saplings in 10,000 hectares each year. Besides carrying out plantations in forest areas, we are promoting roadside and riverbank plantations to increase green cover," Samal said. PTI PS NN