Forest law enforcement goes digital, Telangana’s first e-POR pilot begins in Khammam

The Khammam Forest Department has introduced an online e-POR (electronic Panchanama of Offence Report) system, modelled on police FIR mechanisms, to digitise forest offence documentation and strengthen law enforcement.

Khammam: The district Forest Department has launched an online POR (Panchanama of Offence Report) booking system for the first time in the State, on the lines of the Police Department as a pilot project.

The electronic panchanama of offence report (e-POR) system, an initiative by the district forest officer (DFO) Siddharth Vikram Singh aims at strengthening forest law enforcement through technology, transparency and scientific documentation.

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It is designed on the lines of the Police Department’s digital First Information Report (FIR) and case management systems. The system intends to modernise the registration, documentation, monitoring and prosecution of forest offence cases including illegal felling, wildlife crimes, forest land encroachments, illicit transport of forest produce and other violations.

Explaining the advantages of the e-POR, Vikram Singh stated that it is not merely a digitisation exercise, but a transformative reform in forest enforcement. Effective prosecution is the backbone of deterrence and the e-POR platform would empower the department to build stronger, legally sound cases while ensuring greater protection of forests and wildlife.

Real-time online registration of forest offences directly from the field, digital panchanama and evidence documentation, standardised reporting formats reducing procedural errors, accurate maintenance of offence history and case progression, better coordination between field officers, divisional offices and higher authorities would be possible with the system, he noted.

A major objective of this initiative is to significantly improve the conviction rate in forest and wildlife offence cases by ensuring proper digital preservation of evidence, stronger chain of custody for offence records and improved presentation of cases before authorised officers and courts

During the pilot phase, all forest offences across Khammam district would be booked both online and offline simultaneously for testing, validation and system refinement. Officers at every level have been instructed to implement the initiative with utmost seriousness, the DFO said.

This forward-looking initiative places Khammam forest department at the forefront of digital governance and could serve as a model for statewide replication in Telangana, Vikram Singh added.