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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday instructed the forest officials to move out of their offices and stay in forests for 15 days a month to boost the morale of other department personnel.
The Chief Minister was speaking at a function to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Karnataka State Forest Development Corporation Limited. "Senior officials are rooted in Bengaluru. You are not coming out of your offices. Go to the forests, and stay there for 15 days a month. it will boost the morale of other personnel of the department. It will send the message that the senior officials are engaged in protecting the forests," Bommai instructed. He also wanted the officials to work more vigorously to improve the forest cover in the state from the present 23 per cent to at least 30 per cent over the next five years. The Chief Minister advocated the need for change in the objectives of the Forest Development Corporation and said that there is no need to focus on profit making, the focus should be more on extending the forest cover. "We need not grow Eucalyptus for paper manufacturing. Stop planting Eucalyptus and Acacia trees which are not conducive to our ecological balance. Think about planting alternative species of plants and trees," he said. Bommai also said that the Karnataka government has an exclusive ecological budget this year which seeks to offset the ecological damage. "For the first time in the country, about Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the ecological budget or the green budget to take up initiatives that would offset the ecological damage on an annual basis. Ecological balance could be maintained if the initiative is sustained for the years ahead. The State government is ready to grant an additional Rs100 cr if the allocated Rs100 cr is utilised effectively," Karnataka CM added. He assured complete cooperation of the state government to improve the financial condition of the corporation and called upon the officials to take up afforestation drives on a vast scale, especially in arid areas and the north Karnataka region. A special scheme has been formulated to encourage farmers to cultivate Sandal trees. It should enable the farmers to boost their income, Bommai said and asked the officials to simplify the regulations for Sandal cultivation. He also emphasised the need for greater thrust on AgroForestry. Stressing the importance of preserving the biodiversity in the Western Ghats and increasing the green cover in the state, Bommai also instructed the officials to prepare a Vision Document on Forest Development for the next 50 years. (ANI)
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