BHOPAL: Forest minister Umang Singhar and additional chief sectary AP Shrivastava jointly reviewed the working of the department after prolonged acrimony between them.
Since Singhar and Shrivastava were not on good terms, their work was divided, and all the officers working with Shrivastava were posted under forest secretary SS Mohanta.
At the meeting, Singhar took feedback from the officers on various issues. The officers told the minister work on sanctuaries could not progress because of delay on part of the government.
Along with Omkareshwar and Ratapani, there will be ten sanctuaries in the state, and Singhar asked Shrivastava to work on them.
The meeting also discussed about strengthening the forest committees. Singhar said the committees would get the budget as they were getting earlier.
Shrivastava wanted that the committees should be run through Gram Sabhas, but the IFS officers were opposed to it.
IFS officers agreed to strengthen the committees. For the first time, an act was made for 20% reservation for private nurseries in the government ones.
It was done because of complaints of corruption in government nurseries. Singhar asked the officials to finish the work as early as possible.
