Minister A.K. Saseendran has said that the activities of the Forest department will be revised to ensure a more active interaction with the public.
He was inaugurating a circle-level file adalat held at C. Kesavan Memorial Town Hall here on Tuesday. “The government intends to have a system that includes both officials and the public. Department officials should work not just to solve the problems related to forest and wildlife but also of forest-dependent communities,” said the Minister, who added that changes will be introduced to make the department popular.
Observing the adalat as an opportunity to strengthen the rapport and cooperation between the public and officials, the Minister said immediate decisions would be taken in various cases including pending files. “The practice of not giving a clear answer to the complaints and sending files to the higher level to avoid responsibility will not be tolerated. Priority should be given to delivering fair services to the people and strict action will be taken against the officials who are obstructing the welfare of the people. The department will hold a discussion with the Chief Justice of High Court about conducting an adalat of cases pending before the court,” he said.
Mr Saseendran also added that concerns regarding the compensation for wildlife attacks will be resolved. “The situation of not being able to pay compensations due to financial crunch will be resolved within three months,” he said.
Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J. Chinchurani presided over the function. Additional Principal Chief Forest Conservator P. Pukazhenti, Southern Circle Chief Forest Conservator Sanjay Kumar, Forest Conservator M. Neetu Lakshmi, Kollam Social Forestry Conservator A.P. Sunilbabu and Forest Conservator D.K. Vinod Kumar were also present on the occasion.
