Khandre directs forest officials to conduct monthly redressal meetings in villages abutting forests

Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre has directed forest officials to visit villages located in the periphery of forests and to conduct grievance redressal meetings once a month.

Chairing the Standing Committee meeting of the State Wildlife Board, Mr. Khandre said that officers holding the ranks of Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) and Range Forest Officers should hold meetings once a month, listen to the grievances of villagers and take steps to resolve them.

‘Listen to villagers’

He said that forest officers and staff should go to the villages where loss of life and crop damage have been reported owing to man-animal conflict.

He said that the officials should take stock of the situation, listen to the problems of the villagers, resolve them and maintain good relations with them.

He also mentioned the death of five tigers in M.M. Hills and the death of wild elephants after coming in contact with illegally erected electric fences.

He said that such incidents can be prevented if senior officials visit each forest zone and review the performance of the zonal officers and forest patrol personnel, and motivate them.

The Minister also reviewed the proposal for doubling the railway track from Hosapete to Castle Rock and discussed the measures to be taken to mitigate the impacts of the project on biodiversity, environment and wildlife, and directed to present the proposal in the next meeting.

Marine sanctuary

Mr. Khandre also said that the Mugli-Apsarakonda Marine Sanctuary, which will be the State’s first marine sanctuary, will be formally inaugurated in September.

A proposal was cleared by the State Cabinet in June. The sanctuary is spread over 5,959 hectares, near Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district. The proposal was approved by the Karnataka State Board for Wildlife a few years ago.