Deemed forest survey yet to pick up pace in Telangana with deadline nearing

Telangana's deemed forest identification survey is yet to gain momentum, with just over two months left to submit a report to the Centre. The delay, caused by initial committee formation issues, puts pressure on the newly reconstituted expert panel

Hyderabad: The survey to identify deemed forests in Telangana has been progressing at a sluggish pace, with just over two months remaining before the deadline to submit the report to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

The MoEFCC had instructed all State forest departments to constitute expert committees and complete a comprehensive survey identifying deemed forests by September 9 this year.

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While States such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are reportedly nearing completion of the exercise, Telangana has yet to gain momentum. The primary reason for the delay is the late reconstitution of the expert committee in accordance with the stipulated guidelines.

Initially, the Telangana Forest Department had formed a committee comprising the GHMC Commissioner, HMDA Metropolitan Commissioner, Panchayat Raj Commissioner, and officials from other departments. However, the Supreme Court took a critical view of the inclusion of officials from departments not directly related to the forest identification exercise.

Following the court’s observations, the department reconstituted the committee, appointing the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests as Chairman. The revised committee now includes representatives from the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA), National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), retired Deputy Conservator of Forests, serving Deputy Conservator of Forests, and others.

A senior official from the Forest Department said the formation of the State-level committee was necessitated by a Supreme Court directive, which stemmed from a case interpreting the term ‘forest’ in its dictionary meaning. This was followed by a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging recent amendments made by the Central government.

The current committee is tasked with surveying areas outside officially notified forest lands that exhibit forest-like characteristics. This includes assessing tree cover and other ecological features to determine if such areas qualify as deemed forests.

The official added that the committee must complete its survey and submit the final report to the MoEFCC before the September 9 deadline.