Forest Department rids 25 acres of illegal occupation

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 17

In a bid to free government land and to help save the environment, the Punjab Forest Department has been making dedicated efforts to remove encroachments and illegal occupation from its property. Illegal occupation of 25 acres at Mand-Jharaudi village was cleared by officials of the Samrala range with the help of the police today. This land would now be developed into “forest area” in a systematic manner so as to save the environment.

Under the Ludhiana division, around 704 acres was under illegal occupation, which had now been vacated with the efforts of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Ludhiana. ‘Forest area’ is now being developed on this land.

Giving more information, Charanjit Singh, DFO, Ludhiana, said, “Under Mission Fateh of the Punjab Government, 25 acres located at Mand-Jharaudi village has been cleared of illegal occupation by the department.”

This land was under illegal occupation for a long time and would now be developed into “forest area”, the DFO added. “The work of planting tree saplings has been started on this particular land from today,” the DFO said.

Acting on the directions of the state government, several efforts were made to get this land vacated from illegal occupation, the DFO said while adding that 704 acres of prime forest land was now free from any kind of encroachment.

According to the DFO, the land vacated from illegal occupation, include 175 acres in Haider Nagar Jungle under Mattewara Range, 79 acre in Hadiwal Jungle, 19 acre in Gopalpur Bulendwal Jungle, and 2 acre in Salempur Jungle area. Similarly, in Jagraon range, 147 acre in Kot Umra Jungle area, 80 acre in Gorsian Khan Mohammad Jungle, 70 acre in For Majri Jungle area under Samrala range and 35 acre at Mand-Uddowal and Ladhowal village.