Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 23: The Forest Department has planted 6 lakh saplings over an area of 965 hectare forest land across Chenab Forest Circle, under flagship forest conservation programme CAMPA during the current financial year, till ending December.
The information was given to the Forest Minister, Mian Altaf Ahmed in a meeting of Divisional Forest Officers convened to review the financial and physical achievements in the implementation of CAMPA programme in the area.
The largest in the State, the Chenab Forest Circle is spread over to Marwah from one end and Gool to other with six divisions of Bhaderwah, Batote , Doda , Ramban , Kishtwar and Marwah.
The meeting was told that the department completed fencing along 373 hectare forest land under CAMPA and RDF schemes in the circle to protect the forest area from encroachment.
The meeting was informed that the Forest Department distributed 362703 Cft timber directly to the consumers generating a revenue of Rs over 22 lakh, while the department also sold 4482 quintal firewood and fetched a revenue of Rs 9.21 lakh.
A sprawling city forest park has also been developed in Batote over an area of forty Kanal land involving a cost of Rs 27.12 lakh. The works completed under the city forest park project, include chainlink fencing, development of view point, root protection and construction of protection wall.
Inspecting the works, the Minister asked the department to construct a walking path and public convenience in the park.
Reviewing the achievements, the Minister underlined the need for regular monitoring of the CAMPA works to ensure discernable impact on the ground.
The Minister asked for effective implementation of reforms and measures for protection of the forests with special thrust on the involvement of the locals and other stakeholders. He called for holding awareness camps in the populated areas in the vicinity of the forests to make people aware about the long lasting impact of forests on their day to-day life.
On way, the Minister inspected Nursery of Soil Conservation Department at Phlata spread over an area of 12 kanal.
The Minister also inaugurated a Conference Hall of Forest Department at Batote.
Later, the Minister met National Conference delegation headed by Former MLA Ramban, Dr. Chaman Lal and discussed various issues relating to the development of Batote. The demands they projected included construction of bus stand, sanctioning a Degree College for Batote, granting of tehsil status for Batote and establishment of timber depot at Batote.
The Minister assured them that their demands would be taken up with the concerned Ministers for early consideration.
Commissioner Secretary Forests, Ejaz Iqbal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Vinod Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Shabir Ahmed Bhat, Chief Conservator Forest, Jammu , Ravi Kesar, Joint Director Soil Conservation Jammu, Sameer Bharti, Conservator of Forests, Chenab Circle, M. M. Gupta, Regional Director Social Forestry, Ashwani Gupta, Director of Soil Conservation, U. Pachnanda, Joint Director of Forest Protection Force, B. M. Sharma, CCF CAMPA, L. K. Sharma, all Divisional Forest Officers of Chenab Forest Circle and senior officers of allied departments accompanied the Minister.
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