Bengal CM asks forest officials to curb illegal logging, seeks proposal to fill vacancies

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday asked West Bengal's Forest Department officials to work transparently to prevent illegal logging and timber smuggling, as he directed officers to initiate steps to fill vacant posts. Inaugurating the Forest Week celebration in Salt Lake, the eastern part of the metropolis, he stressed the need to undertake programmes for extensive afforestation to preserve the environment. "We have stopped cattle smuggling, syndicate-raj and other illegal activities; likewise, the forest department should, with the help of the police force, work to stop illegal logging and timber smuggling," Adhikari said. Admitting that forest department officials face several impediments in their work, he asked the departmental secretary to submit a proposal for improving infrastructure and filling vacant posts. Recruitment of forest guards will henceforth be done by the Police Recruitment Board, and vacancies will be filled up within a few months, the chief minister said. About man-animal conflicts in the southwestern districts, he said a balance must be struck between preservation of elephants and development works in the Jangalmahal region, comprising Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura districts. Conflicts between villagers and elephant herds descending into farmlands are quite common in the region during the harvesting season. "The previous government neglected the forest department. We need to learn from Odisha and Chhattisgarh on how to prioritise the department," he said. Calling upon everyone to take up tree planting, he said, "Let us build a pollution-free and environment-friendly West Bengal." Pointing to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resolve to plant 26 crore saplings, Adhikari said, "We are not as large as Uttar Pradesh, but we can plant 10 crore saplings this year." He called upon every MLA to take the initiative of planting one lakh saplings in their constituencies. "Let us initiate this healthy competition to make West Bengal green again," the chief minister said.