Use drones to check illegal tree felling, mining: Chief Secretary

Shimla, March 25

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Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh today said that drone cameras should be used to monitor illegal tree cutting and mining and encroachments. He chaired a meeting of the Fifth Steering Committee of the Himachal Pradesh State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) here.

Ram Subhag reviewed the action taken on the 4th Steering Committee meeting suggestions and discussed various issues of the proposed Annual Action Plan for 2022-23. He said that to prevent crimes in forests, the front line staff of the Forest Department should be trained to use drone cameras. Standard operating procedures for monitoring forests through drone cameras should also be prepared. “An additional budget should be arranged in the CAMPA for the purchase of drone cameras and for the training of front line staff,” he added.

The Chief Secretary directed officials to complete the work list of the proposed annual action plan for 2022-23 under the CAMPA within the stipulated time. Chief Conservator and Chief Executive Officer of CAMPA Rajesh Sharma presented the list of works done in the past three years in the Forest Department. —