Pune : Sahakarnagar Citizens Forum and Forest Dept Hold Crucial Meeting Over Concerning Incidents Of Taljai Hills
A significant meeting occurred on Monday, March 11, 2024, between the Sahakarnagar Citizens Forum and the forest department of Taljai Hills, aiming to address longstanding concerns and demands from the community regarding forest management.
Over the past years, there has been a notable lack of communication from the forest department to the citizens of Sahakarnagar regarding the ongoing activities within the Taljai Forest Department. Despite repeated requests from the Sahakarnagar Citizen Forum, the transparency and accountability regarding forest management have been inadequate.
The Sahakarnagar Citizen Forum presented several demands to the forest department:
- A joint inspection of ongoing tree felling activities by the forest department, environmental experts, and citizens to ensure compliance with regulations. If unauthorized tree felling is discovered, appropriate action should be taken against those responsible.
- Implementation of a system to record the entry and exit of vehicles at the forest department gate, along with the mandatory display of Forest Duty signboards on entering vehicles.
- Requirement for forest department passes for contractors’ employees working within the forest area.
- Mandating the presence of a knowledgeable and responsible forest department officer during any tree felling or plantation activities.
- Installation of prominent information boards at all entry and exit gates of the forest department, detailing ongoing work, location, duration, and contractor information.
- Installation of CCTV surveillance at entry and exit.
