The State Forest Department has been directed once again to identify areas for growing mixed forests and draft a scheme for monetary incentive to villagers for collection of pirul (pine needles) as part of measures to prevent forest fires and boost income generation for the residents of the rural mountainous regions of Uttarakhand. These instructions were issued by Chief Minister Harish Rawat video conferencing with all district magistrate and Forest Department officials at the secretariat here on Friday.
The Chief Minister said that villagers will have to be linked with forests in order to secure the forests. The villagers should be able to access their traditional rights so that they feel like partners in the conservation of forests.Stating that lack of moisture in the soil had exacerbated forest fires, he directed the forest department to dig up small ditches along the forest paths and on mountain slopes to help retain moisture in the soil.
This task will have to be completed before the onset of the monsoon season this year in order to achieve the desired result, said Rawat, while also directing officials to send a proposal to the Government of India for excavating thousands of small ponds. Due to lack of link routes in forests, problems are faced in reaching areas to extinguish forest fires.
Considering this, the department will have to lay special focus on the improvement of intra-forest connectivity for which necessary funds can be provided through Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), he said. Stating that pine trees and their needles are among the major factors causing spread of forests fires, he stressed on the need for growing mixed forests to replace pine forests. Forest officials should identify areas for rowing such mixed forests, he said. The CM also directed officials to draft a scheme for the utilisation of Pirul with villagers being offered monetary incentive for collection of the pine needles in a manner which enhances their livelihood while also helping in the mitigation of forest fires.
Rawat further said, “An action plan should be prepared for improvement of fire lines in the mountainous regions above 1,000 metres altitude. Uniformity should be brought about in permission for tree-felling for the minor roads made in the rural areas by Rural Engineering Service (RES) and under the Mera Gaon Meri Sadak Yojana.
The persisting misconception related to civil Soyam land also needs to be resolved,” he said, while also directing all district magistrates to ensure weekly review of forest land transfer cases in the districts. The cases of forest land transfer should be resolved on a fast track basis. The CM further directed the district magistrates to coordinate with the divisional forest officer concerned for the mapping of degradable forest.
He also directed officials to prepare a proposal to be submitted to the Union Government for compensatory afforestation on degradable forest land in the case of State Government schemes as in the case of Central Government schemes. State forest minister Dinesh Agarwal, MlA Navprabhat, chief secretary Shatrughna Singh, principal secretary Radha Raturi and other departmental officials were also present in the meeting.
It is pertinent to mention here that various schemes were planned and different works facilitated since the time of undivided Uttar Pradesh to tackle the fuelling of forest fires by the estimated 10 lakh tonnes of Pirul generated in a year by the forests. Successive State governments after creation of Uttarakhand drafted plans and even executed some.
With private agencies expressing interest in making bio-briquettes from Pirul for power generation, in 2010 the State Government had then decided to start power generation from pirul. Though this was facilitated on the ground, varied factors prevented the authorities from utilisation of pirul in the manner which would have mitigated forest fires.