Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has asked the Collectors to prepare plan for revival of the forests in the forestlands all over the State and commence the action plan.
If the social forestry helps to reduce temperatures in the residential areas, forest development would bring in a change in the atmosphere and help bring in more rains and enables biodiversity, the CM said.
The CM has personally demonstrated to the Collectors on Wednesday forest revival programme being implemented at Singayapalli, Nentur, Komati Banda under the Gajwel Assembly Constitutency jurisdiction.
He said at the formation of the Telangana State when he was representing Gajwel Constituency, the entire forest area was without trees and was an arid patch and the situation was almost like a desert. With a view to revive forest in the forestlands, a comprehensive plan was prepared and implemented. The revival works began three years ago are showing results now.
The entire area is with full of greenery and there is an increase in the rainfall. With as many as 27 varieties of fruit bearing trees being grown in the forest area, they have become like monkey food courts.
KCR said that the Collectors should take inspiration from revival of forest programme being implemented around Gajwel and it should be implemented all over the State for the revival of the forests. He said there is 66.48 Lakh Hectares of forestland available in the State and it is about 23.4 per cent of the total land in the State. But in the same ratio, forestlands were not there.
On the forest revival programme implemented in the Gajwel forestlands, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R Shobha, Additional PCCF RM Dobrial explained to the Collectors. They said that using the rootstock in the forests, trees were grown in a natural way.
Deep trenches were digged around the forest area for the better protection. This would also prevent animals from going out of the forest area and coming inside the forests. Water level in the trenches, gives ample moisture to the plants. Nickernuts (Gacchakayi) plants were also planted near the trenches for more protection.
Since 27 varieties of fruit bearing trees planted in the forest areas, monkeys are coming back from the villages and towns to the forest. The senior forest officials told Collectors that revival of the forest, decreased the temperatures, increase the rainfall and reduced the pollution levels.
It also enables biodiversity. They said funds from CAMPA programme are available and they will be utilised for the afforestation and through the forest department measures would be taken up for the growth of trees.
The Chief Minister said that Ministers, MLAs and Collectors should take the responsibility of reviving the forests protecting them.
After participating in the forest revival programme, the Collectors visited the Mission Bhagiratha Plant constructed at Komati Banda. The CM had lunch with the Collectors there. Later he held a meeting with the Collectors. The CM discussed about the implementation of the new Panchayat Raj Act, new Municipalities Act and the formation of the new Revenue Act.
He said that the government’s aim is to have a clean and green villages and towns, accordingly measures should be taken during the 60-day Action Plan in the State. The CM said the government is preparing a new Revenue Act, which will be corruption free, transparent and would create no problems to the people or farmers.
In this programme, Ministers A Indrakaran Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Etela Rajender, Jagdeesh Reddy, T Srinivas Yadav, Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Srinivas Goud, Koppula Eswar, Niranjan Reddy, Malla Reddy, State Planning Board Vice Chairman B Vinod Kumar, MP J Santosh Kumar, Government’s Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, MLCs Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Seri Subhash Reddy, CMO Principal Secretary S Narsing Rao and others participated. (INN)