"The state has total 20,230 sq km area under forest, out of which 13,360 sq km is under encroachment. The forest department has taken an initiative by which 720 sq km has been cleared of encroachments," an official spokesman said after a meeting of Departmental Related Standing Committee of Legislative Council on Forest department here.
The meeting was chaired by head of the panel and MLC Ravinder Kumar Sharma, the spokesman said.
"It was stated that due to the increase in population and developmental activities near forests, people living near forests have tendency to encroach upon forests lands. This is a serious problem which the forest department is facing," the spokesman said.
He said the committee asked the forest department to submit the action taken report to it on the encroachments.
The committee urged the forest department to play pivotal role for protection of forests and bring encroachments to zero.
"Committee also stressed upon the department to constitute a special team consisting of members from Forest and Revenue Departments to sort out confusions regarding the demarcation forest land and revenue land," he said.
He said the committee discussed various measures for preservation of the state's ecology.
The meeting was attended by committee members Nizam-u-din Khatana, Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah, Bashir Ahmad Magray and Dharambir Singh Oberio besides commissioner Secretary Forest Ejaz Iqbal, Principal Chief Conservator Forest Vinod Ranjan and other senior officers of Pollution Control Board, Director Social Forestry and Fisheries, he said.
