Sitarganj. Clarifying the situation regarding encroachment on government and forest land in Lauka area, the Forest Department has stated the need to free the encroached land and then plant trees there on a large scale. In response to the complaint, Mahendra Singh Rekuni, Forest Officer of Barakoli forest area, said that 426.13 hectares of land in Baigul Dam area is vulnerable to encroachment. This land has to be freed from encroachment and returned to the Forest Department. The departmental details mention 434 families encroaching in this area.
According to the Forest Officer, in the year 1969, a total of 1583.50 hectares of land of Court Kharra and Barakoli forest area was transferred to the Irrigation Department. It is proposed to vacate the area of this land which is currently under encroachment and return it to the Forest Department. However, this encroached land has not yet been returned to the Forest Department. Due to this, the department is facing challenges regarding the use of land and its conservation in future.
Ranger Mahendra Singh Rekuni said that it is necessary to free government and forest land from encroachment. After the land is vacated, plantations should be done on a large scale to protect it from encroachment again. He says that along with plantation, regular monitoring and security arrangements will also be necessary in the area. On the one hand, this will conserve land, while on the other hand, by increasing greenery in the area, environmental protection will also be strengthened.
He told that in the order issued by the government in the year 1975, instructions were given to vacate the encroached land and plant trees there. In such a situation, planting trees on the land that is free from encroachment is not only important from the environmental point of view, but can also prove to be an effective step in protecting the land from re-encroachment in future.
The Forest Department says that after freeing the land which has been under encroachment for a long time, its conservation should be done on priority basis. For this, along with plantation, arrangements for plant care, regular monitoring and security are also necessary. After getting the land back at the departmental level, work can be done towards developing the area as a green area.
Since a large amount of land in Lauka and Baigul Dam area is vulnerable to encroachment, the matter is also related to the protection of environment and government land. In such a situation, if plantation is done on a large scale after the encroachment is removed, it can lead to better utilization of the vacated land and can also benefit the environmental balance of the area.