Maharashtra declares all forest beats ‘highly sensitive’


* Maharashtra Government issues new guidelines for forest protection laying down the duties and responsibilities of officers to field-level staff

By Kartik Lokhande 
After a long gap of over 11 years, Maharashtra Government has decided to revise the forest protection guidelines. Accordingly, it has declared all the forest beats as ‘highly sensitive’ areas and has laid down in detail duties and responsibilities of Forest Department officers as well as field-level staff.
The forest protection guidelines were last issued in the year 2003. Since then, several changes took place in the forest management. Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was passed in 2006 granting forest rights to traditional forest dwellers in various parts of the country. Besides, certain notifications pertaining to Indian Forest Act and Wildlife Protection Act were issued in the year 2013. Against this backdrop, said a Forest Department officer, changes were desired in the forest protection guidelines.
Accordingly, on Wednesday, Revenue and Forest Department of Maharashtra Government has issued detailed revised guidelines. An area monitored by a Beat Guard is considered the lowest unit of forest management. At some places, it is 700-800 hectares and at others it is as wide as 2,000 hectares. Previously, these forest beats were classified into three categories -- Normal, Sensitive, and Highly Sensitive. The new guidelines have scrapped old categorisation and all the forest areas across the state of Maharashtra have been declared as ‘Highly Sensitive’. The step has been taken against the backdrop of increase in encroachments on forest area, attacks on Forest Department officials, poaching of wildlife, illicit trade of forest produce and wildlife organs etc.
Interestingly, previously, Beat Guard was entrusted with the responsibility of his beat. Now, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Divisional Forest Officer, Sub-Divisional Forest Officer also have been asked to chalk out an annual programme of their visits to beats in respective areas and visit every beat in their areas every six months. It has been made mandatory for these officers to visit at least a beat every month. If some serious aspects have come to their notice in a beat, they will have to re-visit that particular beat. Besides, Divisional Forest Officer (Vigilance) will have to undertake random inspection of beats.
The guidelines also spell out the aspects to be included in inspection. The inspecting officers will have to take stock of offences registered under Indian Forest Act, Wildlife Protection Act, and claims accepted or rejected under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act. Other aspects of inspection include boundaries of forest area, landmarks, records with Forest Guard, record of seized items, order book, beat map, topo-sheet, diary, condition of uniform, GPS device, mobile phone, PDA etc. The officers have also been asked to analyse beat inspection reports every quarter, and issue necessary instructions to field-level staff.

Saw mills to be
checked regularly

Forest Department officers have been asked to conduct inspection of saw mills and also check if they are running as per the terms and conditions laid down at the time of grant of permission. If illicit tree felling is done and material is found there, action will be taken against saw mills. Range Forest Officer has to check at least eight saw mills under his area every month, Assistant Conservator of Forest should check four saw mills every month, Deputy Conservator of Forest/Divisional Forest Officer/Sub-Divisional Forest Officer should check two saw mills every month. As and when needed, Chief Conservator of Forest also will have to inspect saw mills. In areas with more number of saw mills, Chief Conservator of Forest may appoint Special Range Forest Officer to ensure that all saw mills are checked at least once every year. A quarterly report of saw mill inspection has to be submitted to Additional Chief Conservator of Forest (Protection).

Officials not registering
offences to face action

Forest Guard and Range Officer not registering offence in cases of encroachments on forest land will have to face stringent action. Expressing strong displeasure over officials not registering offences that they come to notice but are in areas outside forest, Forest Department has asked them to register offence first and then hand over the case to officer of respective forest area. As per the new guidelines, offences will be registered in case of old encroachments also. Besides, responsibility of Range Forest Officer, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Deputy Conservator of Forest has been fixed as far as taking a forest offence registered to its logical conclusion.

Other directions

* Regular inter-state protection meeting with officials of neighbouring states as far as forest area on the border of other states is concerned

* Co-ordination at various levels of Police and Revenue Departments

* 24x7 working of Divisional Control Room

* Proper follow-up of court case

* Rewards to informants

* Action against officials/employees not following up forest offences

* No salary for officials not updating their forest diary for two months

* If there is illicit tree felling, even the top officers will have to pay a visit to the site within three days of getting information 

(14-08-14)

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