NATIONAL AFFORESTATION & ECO-DEVELLOPMENT BOARD

In l984, the Government established a National Land Use and Wastelands Development Council under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister. Under this Council, two Boards had been set up: the National Land Use & Conservation Board in the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Wastelands Development Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests. In 1992, the National Wastelands Development Board was placed under the newly created Department of Wastelands Development in the Ministry of Rural Development with the mandate to develop non-forest wastelands.

Under the Ministry of Environment & Forests, a separate National Afforestation & Eco-development Board (NAEB) was set up with the principal aim of bringing under productive use the degraded forest lands and lands adjoining forest areas so as to restore ecological balance. The broad goals of NAEB are:

• Regeneration of degraded forest-lands and lands adjoining forest areas.
• Evolving appropriate mechanisms for ecological restoration and for expanding work of eco-development in degraded forest areas.
• Special emphasis on the ecologically fragile areas like Western Himalayas, Aravallis, Western Ghats etc.
• Increase biomass availability especially of fuelwood and fodder.
• Restore the ecological balance.

For the Eighth Five Year Plan, an outlay of Rs 275 crores has been approved by the Planning Commission for the NAEB. During 1993-94 against an outlay of Rs. 98 crores, an amount of Rs. 54.11 crores has been spent upto 31-12-93. For 1994-95 an outlay of Rs. 103 crores has been approved.

GANGA ACTION PLAN-PHASE I

The Ganga Action Plan was launched in 1986. This was to improve the water quality of river Ganga to the bathing standards, using a multi-pronged strategy. 1t was to be financed with Central assistance as 100 per cent grant-in-aid. This Action Plan envisaged interception and diversion of waste water reaching the Ganga and installation of Sewage Treatment Plants for treatment of this waste water. It also included other pollution control activities such as solid waste management, installation of electric crematoria, river front development and provision of low cost sanitation facilities in 25 Class I cities located along the river Ganga thereby improving the water quality of river Ganga to bathing quality. The plan also laid great emphasis on public awareness and participation to keep the Ganga clean. Overall the programme has been received well.

An apex body, named as the Central Ganga Authority was set up under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister to oversee the implementation of this Action Plan and coordinate the efforts of the various agencies involved at the Central and State levels. A Steering Committee under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests was constituted to consider the approval of schemes, annual allocation of funds and review of progress of implementation of scheme. A Monitoring Committee was also constituted to monitor progress of implementation of schemes. Ganga Project Directorate was set up as a part of the Ministry of Environment & Forests to service the Steering Committee, the Monitoring Committee and the Central Ganga Authority and to appraise and sanction schemes and to coordinate the implementation of Ganga Action Plan.

Under the Ganga Action Plan Phase I, a total of around 261 schemes have been sanctioned after the detailed schemes were prepared at a cost of Rs. 348.46 crores and an expenditure of Rs. 382.77 crores has been incurred till the end of December, 1993. It is expected that the revised cost of these schemes will go up to Rs. 471 crores approx. Out of the 261 Schemes under the Ganga Action Plan Phase I, 211 Schemes have been completed. Monitoring of water quality has revealed that it has been improved to bathing standard in all the towns except at Kanpur where STPs are yet to be commissioned.

PREVENTION OF POLLUTION OF RIVER GANGA AND NATIONAL RIVER ACTION PLAN

The objectives of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) are to reduce the pollution of the river Ganga in 25 Class I towns on the mainstream of the river in the three States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal and thereby improving the water quality and making it fit for bathing purposes. The objectives of the Plan are achieved through various schemes of interception and Diversion, Low Cost Sanitation, Sewage treatment Plants (STPs), Electric Crematoria and River Front Development. Besides, it is also aimed at con-serving the biotic diversity and productivity of the river. The Ganga Action Plan is being executed through the State implementing agencies in the three States namely Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam in Uttar Pradesh, Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority in West Bengal and Bihar Rajya Jal Parishad in Bihar. Besides these agencies, there are a few more viz., Nagar Mahapalika and Development Authorities which are also involved in implementing the Ganga Action Plan.

By and large, the progress of the Ganga Action Plan has been as per its time schedule. However, there have been some delays in respect of some schemes particularly, sewage treatment plants and pumping stations due to procedural delays in land acquisition at the State/District level and litigation field in the Courts because of which there have been cost overruns.

The programmes under Ganga Action Plan Phase I are 100 per cent Centrally sponsored for ongoing schemes of Ganga Action Plan Phase I. For schemes to be taken up under Ganga Action Plan Phase II and NRAP, the cost would be shared on 50: 50 basis between the Centre and the States. At present foreign aid of Rs. 60 crores under Indo-Dutch Bilateral Cooperation Programme from Government of Netherlands and Rs. 86 crores under UP Urban Development Project for World Bank are available for Ganga Action Plan Phase I and Rs. 401 crores under Overseers Economic Cooperation Fund of Government of Japan is available for Yamuna Action Plan component of Ganga Action Plan Phase II.

There is a provision of Rs. 42 crores and Rs. t; crores for externally aided schemes during 1993-94 and 1994-95.