Punjab Newsline, Shimla, July 30-
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the 75th State-level Van Mahotsav by planting an oak sapling at his official residence, Oak Over, today. He said that the Forest Department has set an ambitious target to plant saplings on 9,000 hectares of land across Himachal this year.
In a significant move, the CM introduced a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for the disposal of unattended dry and salvage trees. This SoP permits the cutting of up to two trees at the forest guard level and up to 25 trees at the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) level. Additionally, powers have been delegated to DFOs and officers of the State Forest Development Corporation to expedite tree removal following the first phase approval of the Forest Conservation Act, particularly for linear projects.
The Chief Minister also launched the beta testing of the e-forest software, a new digital initiative aimed at streamlining departmental operations and enhancing transparency within the Forest Department. He emphasized the importance of increasing the plantation of fruit trees in forest areas from 30 percent to 60 percent, with anticipated positive outcomes within the next ten years.