MUMBAI: The state government’s flagship Ladki Bahin scheme, which has been draining the state’s coffers, may push the forest department to fell mature teak trees to generate funds to repay a loan it plans to take. This was stated by state forest minister Ganesh Naik in the legislative council on Friday, outlining options to raise money for his department.
“Although schemes like Ladki Bahin are affecting the finances of various government departments, they will not be shut down. That’s why we have decided to monetise the department’s teakwood property worth ₹12,000 crore and use the funds to raise a ₹6,000-crore loan for the department’s expenditure,” Naik told legislators.
The minister was replying to questions on the forest department’s projects such as the proposed expansion of the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve buffer zone, and steps taken to curb the rising incidents of human-animal conflict.
BJP MLCs Parinay Phuke and Praveen Darekar, and Congress MLC Satej Patil expressed concern over attacks on humans living in villages in tiger reserves and in nearby villages. Members from various political parties demanded that steps be taken to prevent the man-animal conflict, which has intensified.
In his reply, Naik said the state has financial constraints due to the burden of schemes like Ladki Bahin and hence the forest department has decided to monetise its own property. He said the Forest Development of Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (FDCM) has created teakwood tree properties across the state worth ₹12,000 crore. These trees are old enough to fell and the wood thus sold would help repay ₹6,000 crore the department plans to raise from financial institutions, Naik explained.
This funds would be used to strengthen the forest department’s infrastructure such as rest houses, projects relating to curbing the man-animal conflict, rehabilitating people living in the forest.
“I will place a proposal before the state cabinet to raise a ₹6,000-crore loan based on the department’s ₹12,000-crore teakwood property. What is the use of this property if it does not help the forest department carry out various works,” asked Naik.
During the discussion, Naik also said, “The forest department has not given land or clearance to the Lohara Dongri mining project and the central government is reviewing it. It is hardly possible that our department will give permission for it,” he remarked.
In a written reply, Naik told the legislative council that in the last 5 years, 420 people across the state had died in animal attacks. This includes 248 deaths due to tiger attacks and 104 due to leopard attacks.