Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Singh issued the directive to create a new forest map for Bhopal division after two decades to combat illegal encroachments, tree felling and unauthorised mining.
The directive came during a division-level task force committee meeting held at the Commissioner's office on Friday.
According to sources, the existing forest map dates back to 2003. The particular map was passed by Collector, DFO, Revenue and mining departments. This makes updated mapping crucial for effective enforcement in forest areas. Singh emphasized on coordinated action and directed Revenue, Forest and Mineral departments to convene a joint meeting next week.
The Commissioner also ordered regular district-level task force reviews and accurate land surveys to monitor encroachments. He stressed on speeding up village relocations from sanctuary areas and the urgent need to clearly define and map revenue-forest boundaries.
Key officials at the meeting included Bhopal Collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh, Chief Forest Conservator Rajesh Kumar Khare and Revenue Deputy Commissioner Kiran Gupta. Commissioner Singh highlighted that forest protection is top priority and called on all departments to take decisive action to preserve ecological balance.
