Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment Choudhary Lal Singh has called upon the officers to speed up the anti-encroachment drive and retrieve the encroached forest land at Raika in Narwal, Doongian and Jatki in Bathindi and start the work of chain link fencing there.The Minister was accompanied by Wild Life and Forest Department officers during the visit.Chairman JK Pollution Control Board Ravi Kesar, Chief Wild Life Warden Suresh Chug, Project Chief IWDP P K Singh, Director Social Forestry Arun Kumar Tikoo, Director Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing O P Sharma, Chief Conservator of Forests Roshan Jaggi, Managing Director State Forest Corporation S K Gupta, Director Forest Protection Force Rajiiv Tiwari, Director SFRI B M Sharma, Chief Conservator Wild Life and Eco Tourism A K Gupta besides other senior officers of Forest and its allied department were present on the occasion.The Minister directed the officers of Wild Life and Forest Department to prepare a working plan of each forest area for knowing the forests assets adding that forests Government is taking all out efforts for protecting and conserving forests to maintain the fragile ecosystem of the state. Choudhary Lal Singh also said that Government is planning to construct deer park, forest compartments, rest houses and Forest Department Check Posts on Forest Department land. He directed the concerned officers to ensure that one pond for providing irrigation to plants and drinking water facilities to animals in the forest enclosure.
The Minister further directed for carrying out massive plantation drive in Bathindi and Sunjwan areas for providing healthy environment to the people .The Minister also said that necessary steps for the welfare of employees will be taken ensured. He said good work of the employees will be duly acknowledged and they will be suitably rewarded, and poor performers will face the action as well, he asserted.Earlier, Choudhary Lal Singh visited the Khanpur Nagrota and inspected the ongoing construction work of Jambu Zoo. He directed the executing agency to construct concrete wall for protecting the water body .Later, the Minister also visited Doomi Training School in Akhnoor and Lalyal in Mishriwala and inspected the established nurseries there. He asked the concerned officers to prepare fruit, ornamental, deodar etc saplings in the nurseries. He directed the officers of Forest Department to immediately start the fencing work of nurseries for avoiding encroachments and smuggling of timber and directed for increasing vigil to curb such practices.