BHUBANESWAR: Amid rising elephant deaths due to electrocution, Forest, Environment and Climate Change minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia on Tuesday directed department officials to work out a plan in close coordination with the Energy department to prevent such fatalities.
Joining the DFO conference here on the day, the minister reviewed in detail the causes of elephant deaths in the state in the past few years, and instructed all divisional forest officers (DFOs) to closely monitor their movement and the working condition of the field squads to improve protection measures for the jumbos.
He highlighted the importance of addressing air quality issues in industrial areas such as Talcher, and called for focused plantation activities in districts like Balasore. The minister also directed officers to take stringent action against illegal quarrying and forest encroachments.
Expressing concern over the rising incidents of forest fires, Singhkhuntia cautioned the regional chief conservator of forests (RCCFs) and DFOs to remain alert and ensure adequate preventive measures against such disasters, especially in divisions where increased number of fire points have been detected in the recent years.
Regarding the ongoing forest fire season that commenced from January and will continue till June end, the minister emphasised the importance of effective coordination at the field level to deal with the situation. He also stressed on working closely with local communities and enhance their livelihood to reduce their forest dependence, and called for the need to realign departmental activities to address climate change, with a strong focus on sustainable livelihoods.
The minister asked officials to ensure viable livelihood options for relocated villages under OFSDP and other related schemes, and reiterated the need for a strong policy framework to strengthen the human resources of the Forest department.
RCCFs from all circles highlighted the problems in their circles that they faced at the divisional level. The other issues discussed during the meeting included vacancies in forest staff posts, establishment of CNG facilities in critical areas, problems related to illegal hemp cultivation, strategies for mitigating man-animal conflict, establishment of sub-divisional forest offices and strengthening the legal framework to improve conviction rates in forest offence cases.
Principal secretary, Forest department, Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma stressed using modern tools to strengthen forest management, while his counterpart in the Tourism department Balwant Singh highlighted the issues requiring coordination between the Tourism and Forest department.
PCCF and HoFF Suresh Kumar Pant, PCCF (wildlife) Prem Kumar Jha, PCCF and OSPCB member secretary Uma Nanduri and other senior forest officials were present.