Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said the State government would ensure scientific management of forests to increase forest cover besides adding to State exchequer.
Addressing a meeting of senior officers of the State Forest department here, the Chief Minister said that it was vital for healthy and biodiversity rich forests to allow revival of prescribed silivicultural operations like cleaning, thinning and salvage of dead and dry trees.
Chairman, Supreme Court Monitoring Committee for experimental silvicultural falling & retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests V.P. Mohan gave a presentation on the occasion.
Thakur said that all these activities would be carried out through Village Forest Development Societies which would go a long way in providing employment and self employment opportunities to the local youth.
He said this initiative of the State Government would earn billions of revenue receipts to the State exchequer besides ensuring proper upkeep of green forest wealth of the State.
The Committee recommended that all the pending working plans should be revised in time bound manner.
It was also recommended that boundary pillars on ground be erected for all the forest areas and its status should be updated in the revenue records which would go a long way in checking the encroachments on forest land.
It was also informed in the meeting that the State would be earning revenue of about 1.50 crore experimental fallings in 432 hectares of forest area in Forest Divisions Nurpur, Paonta and Bilaspur during the current year.
Chief Secretary B.K. Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Anil Kumar Khachi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Dr. Savita, Managing Director, Forest Development Corporation B.D. Suyal, Special Secretary Forest Satpal Dhiman and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.