Ramban, May 08: Deputy Commissioner Ramban Mohammad Alyas Khan today chaired a meeting of the District Level Committee constituted to oversee eviction of encroachments from forest land across the district.
The meeting was attended by ADC Varunjeet Singh Charak, Assistant Commissioner Revenue Shokat Hayat Mattoo, Chief Planning Officer Shakeeb Ahmed Rather, Divisional Forest Officer Anil V John, DySP Headquarters Waqar Bhat and other officers from stakeholder departments. DFO Batote and Tehsildars joined the meeting through video conferencing.
Detailed discussions were held regarding the extent of forest land encroachments, procedures for removal of encroachments and the overall strategy for carrying out the eviction drive in an effective and coordinated manner.
Reviewing the ongoing drive, the Deputy Commissioner stressed the need for close coordination among Revenue, Forest, Police and Wildlife departments to ensure smooth implementation of the eviction process on the ground. Officers of the Revenue and Police departments were directed to provide full cooperation for timely completion of the exercise.
During the meeting, it was informed that a total of 2,176 hectares of forest land has so far been retrieved from encroachment in Ramban district.
The Deputy Commissioner directed DFO Ramban and DFO Batote to prepare a weekly schedule with clear targets for removal of encroachments and circulate it among Revenue and Police officials to accelerate the ongoing drive.
The meeting also discussed issues related to forest clearances for developmental works being executed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and by the Public Works Department. The Deputy Commissioner directed concerned departments to resolve pending matters in accordance with rules and procedures.
He also instructed DFO Batote and DFO Ramban to identify suitable locations for construction of forest huts in their respective divisions.
