Staff Reporter
KALPETTA
Introducing social audit in the social forestry project of the Forest department is the need of the hour, Forest Minister A.K.Saseendran has said.
Speaking after inaugurating a permanent nursery of the social forestry wing here on Saturday, Mr. Saseendran said that the department had planted crores of saplings of various species of plants in a decade under the social forestry project, but the officials had failed to conserve them properly.
The enthusiasm of the officials of the department in planting saplings is not reflected in conserving them, Mr. Saseendran said. Hence, introducing social auditing was a means to address the public grievances regarding the issue, the Minister said.
As the public always expected people-friendly conduct from officials, they should act accordly. The officials should ensure the cooperation of the public and people’s representatives to ensure the success of all projects of the department, Mr. Saseendran said.
“The government is planning to extend the social forestry projects with the support of educational institutions in the State”, Mr Saseendran said, adding that the “Vidhya Vanam”, a social forestry project being implemented through educational institutions, had been executed in 51 educational institutions, including 23 colleges.
Social forestry clubs in those educational institutions would conserve the saplings which had been planted under the project.
The nursery has been set up on a 4.33-hectare of land at Chuzhaly here at a cost of ₹98 lakh with modern facilities such as a chopping room, seed drying yard, rain shelter facilities, potting mixer and compost units. It has the capacity to produce and distribute 3 lakhs to 5 lakhs of high quality saplings throughout a year.
The Minister also inaugurated the first animal hospice and palliative care unit for big cats in the State at Kuppady near Sulthan Bathery.
