PUNJAB FORESTS: More area to be brought under forest land

Chandigarh, November 25, 2012: Surjit Kumar Jayani, Forest Minister Punjab has ordered the complete reorganisation of the Forest Beat system which has been prevailing in the  Forest Department since the British times.

The “Beats” are the lowest organizational  units of Forest Department held by the Forest Guards. Forest Beats were  constituted to include only government forest areas whereas other non-forest lands  including village panchayat lands, Government institutions etc. were not covered under Forest Beats.

However, the minister has ordered the reorganisation of  Forest Beats so as to include all panchayat lands, village lands, institutional lands and private areas thereby bringing all these non-forest areas under the management  responsibility of the Forest Guards.

The minister further said that the Forest Guards have now been entrusted with the plantation and protection  of trees in schools, hospitals, panchyats lands, villages and other institutional non-forest  areas besides their traditional responsibility of administration of Government Forest areas. This step would  build up close relations between the Forest Department and the According to the Forest Survey of India, 6.12 crore trees are located outside the traditional forest areas in Punjab State. The production of wood outside forests is more  than three times than that in the Government forests in the State. The trees outside  forests perform many ecological, social and economical functions.  provide wood for the industrial units and fuel wood for the poor, but also provide  environmental benefits to all. The tradition of preserving trees by the Temples,  Gurudwaras and the Deras will get a further boost due to this strategy adopted by the Department. The Re-organization of Forest Beats will greatly facilitate the involvement of the community in the “Greening Punjab Mission” launched by the Chief Minister Punjab wherein it is planned to increase the Forest and Tree cover in the State from existing 7% to 15%, added the minister.

The minister has also ordered that all the field functionaries of the  Department (Range Officers, Deputy Rangers, Block Officers and Forest Guards) will wear prescribed uniforms while on duty. The orders for the uniforms of all field functionaries has already been placed after inviting tenders and the uniforms would be supplied to all field staff by end of November. He further informed that the 180 new Forest Guards who had been recruited by the Department earlier this  year had completed one month induction training in Police Training Centre, Kharkan and 3 months rigorous Forestry Training in PAU, Ludhiana. These Forest Guards had now been deployed in the field. Additional 230 Forest Guards are also being recruited for the Department through the Subordinate Services Selection Board and the list of selected candidates was likely to be received from the Board shortly. The additional man-power at grass roof level would be a great help in the successful implementation of the Greening Punjab Mission, added the Minister.