Udhampur, Nov 20: Reiterating the government’s commitment to provide basic amenities of life to every section of the society in nook and corner of the state, the Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology, Mian Altaf said the Scheduled Tribe communities residing near forest areas should be prioritized in providing adequate water and power supply besides other civic amenities.
 The Minister was addressing a meeting held here today to review the functioning of forest department in the district.
 Altaf discussed various programmes of the department under the district and state sector, social forestry, soil conservation, intensification of the forest management, status of timber supply, afforestation fund management, national afforestation programme, rehabilitation of the degraded forests etc.
 The Minister appreciated the efforts of the administration in getting the entries of the forest land mapped out in revenue records by conducting regular joint inspections of revenue and forest officials. He said this effort would go a long way in checking the illegal occupation of the forest land by the unscrupulous elements.
 Instructing the officers of the state forest corporation, the Minister asked them to expedite the supply of timber at sale depots of the department in Udhampur to the target of 7500 CFT within 15 days so that consumers in general may not face any difficulty in getting timber for various purposes on subsidized rates.  
 Instructions were also issued to the officers to prioritize the fencing work of the forest lands available especially near the National Highway and towns to prevent any apprehension of encroachment. He also called for putting up dedicated efforts in social forestry and soil conservation sectors for the rehabilitation of the degraded forests by initiating meaningful plantation drives. Achievement should be supported by the documentation before and after the completion of the project, he maintained.
 To ensure transparency, Altaf asked the officers to take into confidence the concerned MLAs while formulating different plans to be executed by them. He directed the Chief Wildlife Warden to maintain coordination with the district administration, forest territorial divisions and other agencies so that wild animals in the protected areas do not create any havoc by attacking the dwellers.
 Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said the projects under the district and the state sector, CAMPA and 13th Finance Commission be formulated in such a way that the impact should be visible on the ground and simultaneously monitored.
 The District Development Commissioner gave a detailed resume of the different activities of the forest department in the district.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 21 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST