Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao today directed the officials of the Forest Department to bring down wood smuggling in the State forests area to Zero. He also instructed them to take support from the police and deal with the smugglers with iron hand invoking PD Act against the criminals, who frequently indulge in smuggling forest wood.
The Chief Minister also instructed the Forest officials to take deterrent action against the smugglers, however influential they may be and belong to any political party. He said the State shall be divided into four parts and action plan should be drawn for environmental protection. He also suggested that an action plan should be evolved on plantation of crores of saplings throughout State, forest rejuvenation, greenery development in and around Hyderabad city and end wood smuggling.
Pointing out that forest officials frequently confess that they provide any quantity of wood to certain influential people when they construct their houses, the Chief Minister said this is possible only due to illegal felling in the forests and such an activity should be done away with. He also said the managements of sawmills be regularized and no fresh licences be issued to new ones.
“The number of saplings to be planted as part of Telangana ku Haritha haram should be increased year after year. During the next monsoon 100 Crore of saplings should be planted. Action plan for this should be developed “said the CM.
“In Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Area 1,50,000 acres of forests blocks. However, there is no forests in that. In these blocks large scale plantation should be done. In the country capital New Delhi there is lot of air pollution which is due to lack of trees and due to vehicle pollution. In Hyderabad also, the number of vehicles is increasing day by day. Correspondingly the pollution is also increasing to avoid this the only solution is growing trees, every park and every forest block massive plantation should take place. Around Hyderabad by the end of next three years there shall be a feeling to the people that they are living in a forest area. Form as many walking clubs as possible” said the CM. The CM said, that, there is no dearth of funds and funds can be drawn from CAMPA, MGNREGA, budgetary provision and funds from municipalities.
The CM held review meeting on Environment protection and development of forest area on Monday in Pragathi Bhavan. Home Minister Mahamood Ali, Chief Advisor to Government Rajiv Sharma, Advisor Anurag Sharma, Chief Secretary S K Joshi, DGP Mahender Reddy, PCCF SK Jha, Senior officers S. Narsing Rao, Rama Krishna Rao, Rajiv Trivedi, Niranjan Rao, Smita Sabarwal, Rajashekhar Reddy, Bhoopal Reddy, Prinyanka Verghese and senior Police and Forest officials participated in the meeting.
[source_without_link]NSS[/source_without_link]