SRINAGAR: The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) Kashmir range, Farooq Gillani today held a review meeting of all forest officers of north Kashmir along with its allied sister wings, including the Forest Protection Force, the Wild-Life Protection Department, Social Forestry, Soil Conservation Department, Forest Corporation to take stock of the ongoing and completed forest works during 2020-21.
The APCCF appreciated the efforts of forest field officers for making the ‘Green J&K’ drive a success, in which more than 6.52 lakh saplings have been planted over an area of 435 hectares during 2020-21 for the green cover of degraded forest areas, open forests and other non-forest areas of north Kashmir.
The protection scenario of the North Circle was also discussed in the meeting and instructions were passed to the Forest officers and other officers of the sister wings of the department to tackle the incidents of forest damages in the vulnerable areas on a priority basis.
The APCCF directed the concerned to work in synergy for the best protection of forests. He also informed about the targets of the forest department of planting 1.20 crore saplings and additionally low-cost green cover interventions like dibbling of seeds, patch sowing, and seed balls during the current year.
He further apprised on the new initiative of the Forest Department on ‘One Beat Guard, One village Programme’, through which green cover efforts shall be scaled up on areas outside forest lands with the involvement of Village Panchayats, BMCs, JFMCs, etc. Under the programme, 35 villages in each division shall be provided with planting material worth Rs. 0.10 lac which may include plants, seed balls, seeds etc
Among others, Conservator of Forests North Circle, Irfan Rasool Wani, DFOs of JV, Langate, Kehmil, and Kamraj forest divisions, and officers of FPF attended the meeting.

KR Desk