Assam chief minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed the Forest department to undertake immediate steps for reforms in the department to make it more agile and effective in implementing initiatives for the preservation of forests and wildlife protection.
Sarma on Tuesday held a review meeting with senior officers of the department in Dispur.
The Chief Minister while stressing the importance of preserving precious forests cover and protecting the wildlife of the state said that the forest department must put up concerted efforts to restore its image.
Saying that sincere and committed efforts from forest personnel go a long way in preserving the forests cover, the Chief Minister underscored the importance of regular transfer and posting of officers.
He directed the department to immediately form a committee to undertake a reshuffle of the forest officers starting from Ranger to DFO.
Further to augment revenue generation, the Chief Minister asked the department to provide hassle-free passage to vehicles carrying forest items from other states which are transported following due official procedure.
He also directed to take strict measures to realize forest royalty from the forest resources extracted within the state.
Moreover, to identify illegal extraction of forest resources and encroachment of forest land, the Chief Minister directed to undertake extensive monitoring by drones.
He asked the officials to conduct regular monitoring of forests by drones and procure the required number of drones to intensify monitoring.
Environment & forests minister Parimal Suklabaidya, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Samir Kumar Sinha, PCCF & Hoff Alka Bhargava, PCCF wildlife Dr. Amit Sahai, Commissioner and Secretary Forest GD Tripathi, Chief Wildlife Warden M K Yadav and other senior officers were present in the meeting.