GUWAHATI: The Forest department has gone hi-tech in detecting encroachments in the State. For the first time, the Forest Department has put drones into use in Cachar forest division in Barak Valley to detect encroachments across five hectares of forest land at Kalakhal under Monierkhal range. The forest area in the division is under encroachment from tea gardens, habitation and jhum cultivation.
“The use of drones in the detection of encroachment has yielded positive results. Encroachment in far-flung areas of reserve forests has gone down considerably due to fear among encroachers of being detected immediately through drones. Five hectares of encroached forest areas have been cleared recently after being detected by a drone. The forest is being monitored periodically for any sign of fresh encroachment,” an official in Cachar forest division said.
The Cachar Forest division is surrounded by Dima Hasao district in the north, Manipur on the east, Mizoram in the south and Karimganj and Hailakandi divisions in the west.
Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya has called for using the latest technology for controlling encroachments and for proper planning in forest areas across the State. The Cachar division recently purchased a drone with some amazing inherent capability and used it to detect encroachments.
The official said the drone is being used to monitor stone and sand quarry in the Cachar division. There are several instances of illegal mining in the division. It became a challenge to regulate and control mining activities until introduction of the drone in the quarry area. After the use of drones, theft of minerals had declined drastically as offenders became wary of the forest department capability to track them while committing the crime in far flung areas.
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