Forest dept to focus on 5 key tasks at Aarey

As the state transferred 812 acres of Aarey land to the forest department for safekeeping on Monday, officials will have their work cut out as they take over the area’s administrative responsibilities, which was managed by dairy department

As the state transferred 812 acres of Aarey land to the forest department for safekeeping on Monday, officials will have their work cut out as they take over the area’s administrative responsibilities, which was managed by dairy department.

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Officials described five major developments that are expected to take place in coming weeks and months: a site inspection by the city surveyor’s office, settlement of rights under the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927, creation of a fire management plan for the area, assessing infrastructure requirements and creation of a habitat management plan for wildlife. “There are two things that need to begin on priority. One, we will engage the city surveyor’s office to do field survey so that the final demarcation of the 812 acres can be done on the ground. Once that is done, we can take better steps to protect certain areas if needed, by putting up walls or fences. The other thing that needs to start is settlement of rights of by Forest Settlement officer (FSO). All the relevant documents for this will be provided to the appointed forest settlement officer within a week or so,” said G Mallikarjuna, conservator of forests, Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

Mallikarjuna also said the forest department will be drawing up a detailed fire management plan for the 812 acres, akin to the one implemented at SGNP. “Fires have been a major problem in Aarey, but as we did not have the land possession, we couldn’t do much. We’ll now be able to create fire lines and use dedicated staff to put out any blaze,” he said, adding that work on this is likely to begin soon after rain.

The department is also expected to hold talks with volunteers of various research groups and NGOs to start regular wildlife counts. “There is already a wealth of information available on Aarey’s biodiversity, thanks to citizens and researchers. We will use that and work with volunteers to keep a track of their [animals’] movements and numbers. We’ll also have to prepare a habitat management plan to ensure sustained availability of resources, such as water, all through the year for wildlife,” said Mallikarjuna.

The department will also have to assess their infrastructure requirements. “Offices for field staff, lights, barricades, security check posts, watchtowers, vehicles... all that are required for the daily operations will need to be assessed and requisitioned. We have a team of four forest guards and one forester, but if we require more staff then arrangements will be made,” he said.

While activists welcomed the steps, they also said the handover has happened too late. “These things should have begun in October itself, when the declaration was notified. The state should complete the resettlement process within a time frame. The final declaration should be expedited before more encroachments come up,” said Stalin D, director, NGO Vanashakti.