Early Times Report
Srinagar, Apr 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has finally constituted the district-level committees to hear the complaints related to encroachment of forest land in a time-bound manner.
Commissioner Secretary to Govt, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi (IAS) has issued the order (No.342-JK (GAD) of 2021 dated 17-04-2021) for constituting the Sub-level Committees at District Level.
These sub-committees will be headed by the respective deputy commissioners for addressing the complaints in a time-bound manner. The committees would also comprise of Additional Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Divisional Forest Officer, Territorial Headquarter, Divisional Forest Officer concerned and Tehsildar concerned. The committees, as per the order, would provide regular hearing to the parties to address the complaints in a time-bound manner.
These panels have also been mandated to delete the illegal entries and evict encroachers from forest land under Indian Forest Act, 1927 and relevant Revenue Acts/laws. The order further states that these committees will assist and report to the high-level panel constituted by the J&K government on the matter on 19 September, 2020. The high-level committee was constituted last year after the High Court directed the government to set -up a panel for receiving and deciding all complaints of encroachments of forestland in a time-bound manner. The committee is headed by Principal Secretary Revenue and comprises Commissioner Secretary, Forests, Ecology and Environment, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu and Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir. In its first meeting held on September 28, 2020, the committee recommended that sub-committees shall be constituted at the district- level to provide regular hearing to the parties, citing that the Indian Forest Act-1927 and Revenue laws empower the divisional forest officer and deputy commissioner to decide on the status of the land involved |
