Jammu, Jan 24:  Minister for Forests and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad today asked State Forest Corporation (SFC) management to frame a refurbishment plan to improve the annual dividends of the company.
 Chairing the 64th Board of Director’s meeting of the Corporation here today, the minister asked the management to   initiate some innovative measures to improve the financial health of the corporation and assured every help from the government in making the company more profitable and self-sustaining.
 The Minister suggested that the extraction of lakhs of dry and fallen trees across the state would go a long way to meet the set targets and keep the corporation business going. He said that the extraction of   fallen tress is with the corporation and the management shall draw a comprehensive plan to do this tedious task.  He also asked the officers to meet the social obligation of making available adequate stocks of timber for the public consumption.
 “To ensure hassle free supply of timber to the consumers is one of the top priorities of the corporation” Altaf asserted adding that the needs of people for construction of houses are to be met at any cost. However, he stressed for ensuring that the timber supplied by the corporation reach to the genuine consumers.
 The Board took some decisions which include incentives to labours engaged in SFC lumbering operation by enhanced of rates, measures to improve the quality if timber extracted provision for cash compensation to next-of-kin of those SFC employees who die in harness enhanced from Rs. 1 lakh to 5 lakh and measures to be taken to maintain financial health of SFC.
 Earlier, the meeting was informed that during the current year, the SFC has extracted 15.81 lakh cft and transported 16.689 lakh cft. It has also sold 11.38 lakh cft of timber in open auction and achieved revenue of Rs. 6088.57 lakh up to ending of 12/2011. In addition to this, the Corporation has supplied 3.38 lakh cft to the Forest department for supply to the consumers living in “c” zone areas. The SFC has also supplied timber to the tune of 45,572 cft to the consumers of twin cities Jammu and Srinagar.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST