The Committee on Public Accounts of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly met here today under the chairmanship of MLA, Mian Altaf Ahmed to discuss and examine the CAG’s Audit Paras pertaining to the State Forest Corporation and Forest Department.Legislators, M Y Tarigami, Aijaz Ahmed Khan, Syed Farooq Ahmad Andrabi, Shah Mohammad Tantray, Abdul Rashid Dar, Satpaul Sharma, Ajay Nanda, Rajeev Sharma and Zaffar Iqbal Manhas attended the meeting and gave their suggestions to improve the functioning of the department.
The Committee stressed on the department functionaries to take all necessary measures to protect and preserve forests in the state besides ensuring distribution of quality timber and fire wood in adequate quantity among the people.
Committee stressed on completing digitization of forest land records for further streamlining the working of the Forest Department and JKSFC.The Committee also held threadbare discussions on the working of CAMPA and other afforestation measures.The Committee members stressed for verification of rotten timber at forest compartments before extraction. They also suggested use of rotten timber for fire wood purposes.
Principal Secretary, Forest Department, R. K. Gupta briefed about the audit paras and gave a detailed overview regarding the procedures adopted by the department to further improve its the working.Among others, PCCF J&K, Chairman PCB, Director Soil Conservation, Director Forest Protection Force, Director Finance Forest, MD JKSFC, besides officers and officials of Assembly Secretariat were present in the meeting.