Shimla: Pro-active stance of the government had restored timber rights of the people, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said adding that delivery of timber distribution (TD) had been made time bound and supply priority to fire victims and fuel wood for funerals have been ensured.
Intervening in a question raised by senior congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur, the chief minister said that a new TD policy had been framed after resolving a case that was in the courts and rights of the people of providing subsidized timber for domestic use stood restored.
At the same time he pointed out that during the earlier congress government poor people suffered with some even being denied wood for funerals as the High Court after acting on complaints of misuse of TD rights had banned it.
Earlier, replying to the question forest minister Khimmi Ram said that after implementation of the new policy, 366.762 cubic meters of wood had been allotted in 15 divisions to right holders and there was no pending case with the department.
Rising man-animal conflict claims 22 lives in 3 years
The rising man-animal conflict in the hill state in three years had claimed lives of 22 people, left 3 others permanently disabled, grievously injured 110 and another 1112 suffered minor injuries, forest minister Khimmi Ram let the Vidhan Sabha know during question hour.
He said that an amount of over Rs 1.45 crore had been disbursed as compensation to affected families.
Replying to a question posed by congress legislators Gangu Ram Musafir, Rajesh Dharmani, Nand Lal and Prakash Chaudhary about wild animals menace, the forest minister said that though nine species namely wild boar, porcupine, sambar, cheetal, hare, jackal, monkey, parrot and blue bull had been identified as crop damaging but the High Court in its order dated 6.1.2011 had stayed issuing of shooting permits for protection of agricultural crops
Giving details about the monkey sterilization program for containing the expanding population of simians in the hill state Ram said that till 12th March a total of 50,310 monkeys had been sterilized at the four centre set up in the state for the purpose.
The minister however, denied opposition charges that monkeys were being release into less infested areas as baseless.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
