To combat timber smuggling in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday directed the officials to integrate Forest Department Outposts with police outposts.
Sukhu, presiding over a meeting of the Forest Department, emphasized the installation of advanced technology, including CCTV cameras, at these integrated outposts.
“Timber smuggling results in revenue loss for the State Government and the Forest Department should take proactive measures to restrain the illegal trade. By integrating forest and police outposts, enhanced surveillance and determined efforts against timber thievery are expected,” said the Chief Minister.
He said that the state’s forests serve as the lungs of North India, as it provide fresh air and oxygen in abundance, with trees being highly valuable assets to the State. “However, the recent torrential rains have caused significant damage to these trees, resulting in immense losses,” he said while emphasizing the importance of the Forest Department to promptly remove the uprooted trees from the forest land and ensure their proper disposal.
The Chief Minister also reviewed the working plans for harvesting Khair Trees across five forest divisions within the State. He asked the Forest Department to work on it promptly and execute the same in a time-bound manner, particularly after the conclusion of the rainy season.
The Supreme Court has granted permission for silviculture felling of Khair trees in five forest divisions, namely Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Nalagarh, and Kutlaihar, in May this year, he added.