OTHER DEPARTMENTS

FOREST DEPARTMENT

Organisation

The head of the Forest department in the State is the Chief Conservator of Forests, with headquarters at Poona. For administrative purposes, the state is divided into six circles as shown below: —

The officer in charge of each circle is the Conservator of Forests. The Conservators have under them Divisional Forest Officers who look after the administration of the divisions and independent sub-divisions, respectively. The Divisional Forest Officers belong to the Maharashtra Forest Service, Class I and the Sub-divisional Forest Officers belong to Class II. The divisions in some cases are divided into Sub-divisions which are in charge of Sub-Divisional Forest Officers. The Divisions or Sub-Divisions are further divided into small executive parts called ranges. Each range is managed by a range forest officer who works under the Divisional or Sub-Divisional Forest Officer. The range forest officers belong to Class III and are usually trained at one of the Forest Colleges in India viz., at Dehradun and Coimbtore. Each range is sub-divided into rounds which work under round officers or foresters who are usually trained at the Forest schools in the state. Each round is further divided into beats which are placed in charge of a beat guard.

Bhir Range, comprising Bhir district, forms part of the Aurangabad Forest Division. The range forest officer, Bhir, works under the direct control of the Divisional Forest Officer, Aurangabad. Under the range forest officer, there are three round forest officers at Bhir, Ambejogai and Amalner and nine forest guards at Bhir, Mouj, Dharur, Ambejogai, Parali, Kari, Amalner, Pipalgaon Dhas and Ashti.

Functions

The main functions of the department comprise afforestation, protection of forests, conducting sales and entering into contacts. The forests are mainly protected from deliberate damage caused by people and from accidental fires. Offences like illicit cutting, encroachments, burning of trees are appropriately dealt with under the Forest Acts.

Range Forest Officer

The range forest officer, Bhir, is in executive charge of the Bhir Range. He carries out all the work prescribed by the Divisional Forest Officer with the help of the round forest officers and beat guards under him. His main duties relate to marking of trees, sowing, planting, tending and other silvi-cultural operations, protection of forest trees, investigation of forest offences, supervision over removal of forest produce by purchasers, right holders and issue of forest transit passes and permits.

Round Forest Officers

The round forest officers' duties include protection of forests in their rounds, investigation of forest offences, issue of forest transit passes and permits, collection of revenue in the form of grazing fees and compensation in forest offence cases and supervision over the work of the forest guards.

The forests in Bhir Range are classified into reserved forests 15,295.946 hectares (37,797 acres and 3 gunthas) and protected forests 7,114.630 hectares (17,580 acres and 25 gunthas). The protected forests include an area of 414.993 hectares (1,025 acres and 19 gunthas) covered under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act.

The reserved forests which are in charge of the Forest department are managed according to the prescriptions of the working plans. A working plan lays down the details of scientific management of a forest for a prescribed number of years. Plans are drawn up for felling, regeneration, silvicultural treatment and protection of forests with provision for the due exercise of the rights and privileges of the people including grazing of cattle. Thus, felling series have been prescribed for the following areas of the Bhir Range: Devla, Pipalgaon Dhas, Kapsi, Chardari, Mohokheda and Mandva. Dead, dying, burnt and wounded trees are marked for felling and sold by open auction. Regeneration work is carried out artificially, and at least 12 per cent of the area is regenerated artificially. The large grassy areas in Bhir Range have necessitated a provision for Kuran Working Circle which prescribes steps for improvement of kurans (grasslands).

The forest area in Bhir Range is not contiguous and is scattered in patches. It is mainly in five tahsils viz., Bhir, Kaij, Ambejogai, Patoda and Ashti. Bhir range is covered with scrub type of forest. Neem, bar, babul, khair, tarwad and climbers of acacia species are in marked predominance. In some places, particularly in the valleys of Karbani, Beed Sangvi, Ambejogai, Bavi, Kapsi, etc., species like dhawda, karanj, sakn, etc., having a poor and stunted growth are seen. The grassy areas, locally known as ramnas, predominate the Bhir Forest Range.

There is a perfect co-ordination in the working of Revenue and Forest Departments in regard to the forests. Afforestation and disforestation are practically joint functions of the Revenue and Forest Departments since public rights in the land propose for afforestation have to be settled by the Revenue department. Working plans are prepared solely by the Forest department, but in so far as their prescriptions affect local supply and the rights and privileges of the inhabitants of the district, the approval of the Collector concerned has to be obtained before it is submitted to the Government for sanction.

Afforestation

During the Second Five-Year Plan period, afforestation work over an area of about 405.900 hectares (1,003 acres) in Bhir Range was completed. The species planted were neem, cassia siamea, gorakh-chinch, sir as, salmalia malabarica, karany, Amaltas maharuk, rain tree, etc., and sitaphal and chandan in bushes.