Detection of forest encroachments is set to get easier and earlier in the coming days, with the Telangana Forest Department signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for sharing the geo-spatial data about the encroachments.
The MoU was signed on Wednesday, inside the NRSC premises, in the presence of Special Chief Secretary, Forests and Environment, Ajay Mishra, OSD to the Chief Minister Priyanka Varghese, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Forces P.K. Jha and the Director, NRSC, Santanu Chowdhury. As per the agreement, the NRSC will share monthly satellite data about encroachments, captured through its advanced geographic information system, with the Forest Department. Automatic computerised alerts will be delivered to the mobile phones of the respective officials along the hierarchy, so that the encroachments may be combated early on. After a few months of data collection, frequency of the alerts will be increased to once in five days.
“The earliest the encroachments would be detected previously was when we did our own GIS survey once a year. Other than that, there was the biennial survey done by the Forest Survey of India. It would be difficult to take action against the encroachments which ran so far back in time,” informed Mr. Jha. After the success in receiving fire alerts through automated systems, the department had approached NRSC again almost a year ago, seeking help in detecting encroachments. The Centre’s Forestry & Environment wing, which had already been on the job for its own research, readily agreed. A pilot study was then undertaken covering Kothagudem district alone, and the NRSC data about encroachments almost perfectly matched with the ground verification reports by the district-level officials.
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“As per our annual survey, 90 per cent of the total encroachments in the State occurred in Kothagudem and Bhupalapalli districts, which incidentally also experience heavy influx of tribal people from adjacent Chhattisgarh State,” Mr.Jha explained.
A cat-and-mouse game between Gothi Koyas and Foresters is a common phenomenon in both the districts, with the tribals alleging violence by the officials and the department citing encroachment of forest lands. This conflict situation can now be averted by credible proof of encroachments on hand, the department believes. Further, the alerts will help the forest officials in earliest detection of illegal clearance of forests, and action thereof.