OTHER DEPARTMENTS

FOREST DEPARTMENT

The head of the Forest department in the State is the Chief Conservator of Forests, whose head-quarters are at Pune. For administrative purposes the whole State is divided into twelve circles as shown below.

At the head-quarters of each Circle there is a Conservator of Forests. The Conservators have under them Divisional Forest Officers to look after the administration of the Divisions and independent Subdivisions. The Divisional Forest Officers belong to Indian Forest Service or Maharashtra Forest Service Class I, and the Sub-Divisional Forest Officers to Indian Forest Service or Maharashtra Forest Service Class II. In some cases the Divisions are divided into sub-divisions which are managed by Sub-Divisional Forest Officers. The Divisions or the Sub-Divisions, as the case may be, are divided into small executive charges called ranges and each range is managed by a Range Forest Officer, under the control of the Divisional Forest Officer or Sub-Divisional Forest Officer, as the case may be. The Range Forest Officer is non-gazetted subordinate officer (Class III) who is usually trained at one of the Forest Colleges of India, i.e., those at Dehradun and Coimbatore. Each range is sub-divided into rounds and each round is managed by a Round Officer or Forester who is usually trained at Foresters' Training School at Chandrapur. Finally, each round is subdivided into beats. Each beat is in the charge of a Beat Guard who is either trained at Shahapur or Pal, in the Forest Guards' Training School.

The Ahmadnagar Forest Division lies in Aurangabad Circle and is in charge of the Divisional Forest Officer, Ahmadnagar. In the district there are six Range Forest Officers in charge of territorial ranges, viz., Rajur, Akola. Rahuri, Parner, Shrigonda and Ahmadnagar. Besides, there are five other Range Forest Officers, viz., (1) Range Forest Officer, special duty, under the scheme of afforestation in reserved forests in selected talukas of Ahmadnagar district; (2) Range Forest Officer under the scheme of development of minor forest produce, agave; (3) two Range Forest Officers under the scheme of afforestation for soil conservation; (4) Range Forest Officer, mobile squad. There are 16 Round Officers in charge of territorial rounds. Besides, there are 18 special duty Foresters, 61 Forest Beat Guards and 36 special duty Forest Guards stationed in the forest areas of Ahmadnagar district. The special duty staff is entrusted with special works under the schemes in force.

System of management: This division is mainly an afforestation division. Plantation under different schemes such as afforestation for soil conservation, pasture development, rural extension forestry development of major forest produce (agave), Bamboo plantation, etc. is undertaken. There is no regular working plan for this division except for the areas of Rajur and Akola ranges which are covered by working plan. Under this working plan the forest areas of Rajur and Akola ranges are divided into three working circles, viz.. (1) pasture working circle, (2) main working circle and (3) protection working circle. However the prescriptions of this working plan are not followed rigidly except the closure to grazing of coupes of main working circle, due to sparse tree-growth in the areas. Whenever funds are available plantations of suitable species under the Five-Year Plan schemes are raised in the suitable areas covered by the working plan.

In Ahmadnagar district generally the tree-growth being sparse and regressed it is not capable of commercial exploitation. The main aim of forest management in this district is to conserve soil and to afforest the barren areas with species suitable to the locality. The aspect of revenue in regard to forest is considered as subsidiary. The annual revenue realised through the sales of fodder grass and other major forest produce items, etc. during 1969-70 is as under:―

Divisional Forest Officer: The Divisional Forest Officer is directly responsible for the exploitation and regeneration of the forests according to the sanctioned working plan and other orders. He conducts sales, enters into contracts, realises revenue and controls expenditure under the directions of the Conservator of Forests. With the help of Sub-Divisional Forest Officer he deals with forest offence cases, having power to compound the same. In short, he is responsible for the management of forests in all technical aspects in the division.

Range Forest Officer: The Range Forest Officer is in executive charge of the range. He is responsible for carrying out, with the help of the round officers, special duty staff and beat guards and according to the orders of the Divisional Forest Officer, all the works in his charge such as pre-monsoon works of afforestation, planting operations, weedings, mulching, investigation of forest offences, supervision on removal of forest produces by purchasers and by holders of rights and issue of forest transit passes and permits.

Round Officer: The duties of the Round Officers (Foresters) include protection of forests, detection and investigation of forest offences, collection of compensation in offence cases, execution of the sowing, planting and weeding, etc., works of afforestation, maintenance of boundary-marks and guidance and supervision of forest guards.

Forest Guard: The functions of the Forest Guards pertain to patrolling and protecting all forests in their beat, repairing and maintaining boundary-marks of the forests, carrying out works such as sowing, planting, creeper cutting and detecting forest offences.

Miscellaneous: Roads and paths: The forest areas are very poorly connected with roads and paths. There are no roads and paths managed by the Forest department in this division.

Buildings : In the whole of Ahmadnagar forest division there are 13 quarters for Forest Guards and four for Foresters. These are maintained by the Forest department.

Wet nurseries: To meet the growing demand for seedlings for the vanamahotsava activities and the departmental afforestation works the following wet nurseries have been established. They are maintained in different ranges of the district as under:-

Water-supply : The position of water-supply is poor. In five ranges of this division, viz., Shrigonda, Parner, Ahmadnagar, Rahuri and Akola, there are only nine wells in wet nurseries.

Fire protection: Fire lines are taken over a width of 15 to 30 metres along the boundaries of the afforestation and grass kuran areas. closed to grazing.

Regulation of cattle grazing: The afforestation areas and grass kurans are closed to grazing. The grass from these areas is leased out by open auctions annually, on cutting terms. The afforestation areas are closed to cattle grazing for ten years from the year of planting and the areas which are not covered by plantations are open for free grazing.

Maintenance of boundary-marks: The boundary-marks of the forest areas in charge of Forest department are maintained annually.

Maps: Maps showing the forest areas are available on the following scales:-

1" to 1 mile (Toposheets).

1" to 2 miles (Taluka maps).

1" to 8 miles (Village maps).

Sketches of the afforestation areas planted so far are also maintained.

Forest Co-operative Society: There is only one forest labourers co-operative society in this Division, viz., the Akola-Rajur Vibhag Jungle Kamgar Sangh Ltd., Rajur. This society is defunct since 1966-67.

Vanamahotsava: The Government of India, in 1950, inaugurated a programme of planting of trees, called vanamahotsava, which is celebrated during the month of July every year. However, the time of celebration of vanamahotsava in different localities is fixed after taking into consideration the time of sufficient rainfall. The object of vanamahotsava is to encourage the planting of as many trees as possible in suitable places. Preference is given to edible fruit bearing trees and to the trees of economic value such as Babul, Bamboo. Anjan and Neem, etc. Free supplies of seedlings from the nurseries of Forest department were made to the public and to other departments for the annual vanamahotsava plantings upto 1968. Since 1969 onwards a nominal price of 10 paise per naked seedling is charged as cost of the plant. In Ahmadnagar district the supply of seedlings is made from the Forest department's wet nurseries located at Shendi, Devalgaon, Rehekuri, Wadgaon Sawtal, Baragaon Nandur, etc.

The works of afforestation, bamboo plantation and raising of minor forest produce (agave) are carried out under the development plan schemes, according to the suitability of the areas and the funds available, with the following objectives:-

(a) To aid soil and moisture conservation of the denuded hills.

(b) To meet the needs of the agricultural populace in respect of firewood, fodder and raw material for cottage industries.

(a) To provide supplementary income on forest works in the interior and to provide employment to the rural populace.

(d) To inculcate forest consciousness among the populace.

Five-Year Plan Schemes : A brief account of five-year development plan schemes implemented by the Forest department in areas of Ahmadnagar district is given below:-

First Five-Year Plan Schemes: Under the scheme of afforestation in reserved forests in selected talukas, during the year 1955-56, afforestation works were carried out over an area of 538-00 acres in Rahuri taluka and over 417 acres in Shrigonda taluka, making a total of 955 acres.

Second Five-Year Plan Schemes: During the Second Five-Year Plan period afforestation works under the scheme of afforestation in reserved forests in selected talukas of Ahmadnagar district were carried out to the extent of 5014-33 acres. The range-wise targets achieved under this scheme were as follows:-

Third Five-Year Plan Schemes: During this Plan under the scheme of afforestation in reserved forests in selected talukas of Ahmadnagar district the following areas were afforested:-

Another scheme, viz., scheme for plantation of fast-growing species was implemented during the Third Five-Year Plan period. The objects of this scheme were:

(a) To conserve soil and moisture by reducing run-off with the help of vegetative cover.

(b) To prevent further deterioration of the land and to reduce floods thereby preventing siltation of lakes, ponds, dams, etc.

(c) To meet the requirements of the local villagers as regards small timber, fuel and fodder.

(d) To bring the forest to normal conditions as early as possible and to secure maximum financial return in course of time.

The areas planted under this scheme were as follows:-

Similarly in the natural bushes dibbling of seeds of chandan and neem is carried out as a bush sowing measure in the afforestation areas under this scheme. During the Third Five-Year Plan period two ranges, viz.. Akola and Rajur from the West Nasik Division were transferred to this Division and under the scheme for afforestation of arid and blank areas of West Nasik Division a total area of 746 acres was afforested as mentioned below:-

Under the scheme of " Bamboo plantation " an area of 25 acres was planted with Bamboo during 1963-64 in Kolgaon from Shrigonda range.

Agave plants are not only an effective live hedge against the stray cattle where planted on the boundaries of the afforestation areas but they also yield valuable fibre which serves as raw material for the cottage industry of rope-making. The Government of Maharashtra therefore accorded sanction to raise concentrated plantations of agave in the forest areas. As a result during 1965-66 concentrated agave plantations were raised over 250 acres in Parner and Shrigonda ranges.

For the period from 1966-67 to 1969-70 afforestation and plantation work under the following annual plan schemes have been carried out in the forest areas of Ahmadnagar district:-

(1) Afforestation for Soil Conservation Scheme-

(2) Fuel Plantation Scheme-

(3) Bamboo Plantation Scheme-

(4) Scheme for Development of Minor Forest Produce (Agave) -

(5) Scheme for Development of Pasture and Fodder Resources -

(6) Rural Extension Forestry Scheme-

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