'No funds for draft plan on climate change'
Pranab Ranjan Choudhury
‘No funds for draft plan on climate change'
Satyasundar Barik
Forest and Environment Department responds to an RTI query on the subject |
Experts from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Spain consulted: RTI
The budget for climate change response actions has been estimated to be Rs. 17,000 crore
BHUBANESWAR: It may sound strange, but true. Orissa government has not spent a penny for the preparation of the draft Orissa Climate Change Action Plan (OCCAP), which is touted as the most important strategy note to guide the government's response on vagaries of nature during the next five years.
To a Right To Information query comprising a set of nine questions sought by one Chitaranjan Barik from Cuttack district, Forest and Environment Department replied that “no funds have been received either from State government or Central government for preparation of draft OCCAP till date.”
Surprisingly, the State government did not spend any amount for regional stakeholders' meeting held at Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Balasore and Angul. One of those meetings was organised in a top hotel in the capital.
The department clearly chose to evade questions as to which agency or person was hired to prepare the draft OCCAP 2010-15 although at consultation meetings in Bhubaneswar, the State government proudly announced C-TRAN, an environment consulting firm, as its knowledge partner for the preparation of the plan. The RTI reply said experts from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and Spain were consulted. But the department was not forthcoming as to who footed the bill for experts' involvement.
The State government admitted that DFID had prepared the initial scoping report on OCCAP in consultation with officials of government.
When asked what could be the intention of DFID behind framing such a crucial strategy for Orissa, the Forest and Environment Secretary Aurobindo Behera, who assumed charge after preparation of the plan, said, “it wanted to do a few good things here and there. That could be the reason why it involved itself in framing OCCAP.”
Mr. Behera, however, said scientists and officials of State government had spent considerable time in the preparation of OCCAP. The budget for climate change response actions has been estimated to be Rs. 17,000 crore for a 5-year period between 2010 and 2015.
“The strategy to combat climate change challenges is considered as the most important government action in the twenty-first century. But importing the strategy framework from an outside agency is nothing but allowing oneself to be dictated by others,” said Himanshu Patra, an environmental researcher.
“There is a gift of Rs. 5,500 crore of public money to the power distribution companies as the amount required to reduce transmission and distribution losses.
Three of the four power distribution companies are being run by the country's leading private company,” said Biswajit Mohanty, an environmentalist.
Mr. Mohanty said there was no talk about limiting mining or checking the setting up of large mines in forest areas as the World Bank funds large coal and other mine projects.
Meanwhile, the Forest and Environment Secretary said the draft plan would be finalised soon.
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Pranab Ranjan Choudhury
Development Researcher and Consultant
Natural Resources Management & Livelihoods
Bhubaneswar
Res : N-3/412, IRC Village
Bhubaneswar - 751015
Alt Email : prcho...@rediffmail.com
Skype: pranab.ranjan.choudhury