Hyderabad, June 14: Chief minister K Rosaiah wants forest department officials to track and bring to book the `Veerappans’ in the state forests so that the jungle’s wealth can be protected.
He gave this instruction during a teleconference he held with forest minister P Ramachandra Reddy and officials of the department today to review the steps being taken to take up `plantation of 10 lakh saplings in a day’ programme on July 15.
The chief minister wanted forest officials to take action against smugglers and protect the forest wealth. He wanted legal action against those who were felling trees in the forests illegally.
Rosaiah observed that due to industrialisation and creation of infrastructure, large extents of forest area were being lost. In order to bring an equilibrium between devastation and conservation there was need to plant lakhs of saplings so that they would grow into trees and protect the environment, he said.
Terming the plantation of 10 lakh plants in a day as a historical need and a mammoth one, the chief minister said that such type of programmes would help to create a clean environment for the people, who were suffering due to increasing pollution.
He wanted officials to make it a success, so that more such programmes could be taken up in the future. The chief minister sought the help of people and voluntary organisations in this regard.
“Taking up plantation on behalf of the government is not a new programme. But planting 10 lakh saplings on a day will herald a New Forest Movement,” Rosaiah observed.
Speaking to the forest minister, Rosaiah said that the latter should see that his officials did not take the programme lightly and care should be taken on selection of plants, water, places and protection of the plants. The plantation programme should not be for name sake but for a purpose and due care was needed in seeing the plants grow in to trees, he said.
Rosaiah advised that farmers should be supplied the type of plants they needed.
He observed that without forests and trees one could not imagine the future and for required clean air there was a need to have trees in vast areas. Trees were needed not only to keep the environment clean but for timely rains as well, he pointed out.
Due to road-widening, construction of irrigation projects and mining, a lot of forest area had been devastated, Rosaiah lamented and added that it was frightening him.
To protect the forests there was a need to take up plantation on a mission and these have to be protected from people having vested interests, the chief minister said.
In response, the forest minister said that he would take necessary steps in this regard and would discuss with officials.
Rosaiah wanted the forest department to coordinate with the departments of revenue, agriculture, horticulture, roads and buildings, endowments, panchayat raj and rural development for the programme.
——-Agencies