Should the business of forestry be centralised under the Union government once again or should states manage their forests better? The formation of the Supreme Court (sc) mandated Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (campa) has become a test case to settle this debate in government circles. The prime minister's office has asked the Union ministry of environment and forests (moef) to look at creating several state-level campa -like authorities instead of one mammoth overarching one at Delhi to help decentralise the work. But moef has decided to stick to its guns and create campa under its control in Delhi; it claims the court has clearly mandated this.

The apex court's directions to create campa had come in the wake of reports that incriminated states for tardy utilisation of funds they got as compensation for diversion of forestlands. Various agencies, states and interest groups petitioned the sc, asking it to annul or modify the Union government's notification to create campa. Only one petition