Excelsior Correspondent
RESAI, Mar 23: Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology, Choudhary Lal Singh today said the Government won’t compromise on encroachments, asserting that the violators would be dealt strictly under law.
The Minister said this during his tour to Reasi district where he took stock of working of Forest Department and its allied wings. He directed officials to send formal notices to the stone crushers, brick kiln owners and cement factories who are yet to install scientific devices at their units to contain pollution. He also called upon officers to keep vigil on encroachments and deal with the offenders under law.
The Minister also met several delegations of civil society members and listened to their grievances. He informed the gathering that department has taken strict measures to remove encroachment from the forests. In the process, he said, the Forest Department has retrieved 2903.65 hectares unrecorded/ freshly encroached land across Jammu region and 205 hectares in Jammu city and its outskirts in last 2 years.
He said that Government is working on comprehensive policies for protection and preservation of forests and wildlife across the State. He said demarcation of the forest and wildlife land has been started across the State. He assured the people that strict action would be taken against the encroachers and poachers.
The Minister called for the greater participation of the civil society, especially womenfolk to act as motivators against poaching, encroachment of the forests. He also reviewed the functioning of forest and its allied sectors in the district.
The Minister was accompanied by SSP Reasi and heads of the various wings of the Forest Department.
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