By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 12 Jul: Uttarakhand Government has taken a significant step towards fulfilling a long-pending demand of officers and employees of the Forest Department by according in-principle approval for the State’s first ‘Forest Line’ project. Conceived on the pattern of Police Lines, the project envisages the development of an integrated residential township exclusively for forest personnel. Raipur area in Dehradun district has been identified as the site for the first such complex, where modern housing and civic infrastructure will be developed for officers and employees of the department.
The State Government had earlier agreed in principle to establish two Forest Lines, one each in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. However, the proposal had remained pending for several years owing to various administrative and procedural reasons. Over the past year, the Forest Department has accelerated efforts to take the project forward, and the Raipur site has now been finalised for the first Forest Line, paving the way for its implementation.
For several years, forest personnel had been demanding an integrated residential complex, pointing out that a large number of employees are posted in remote forest areas where their families often face difficulties due to the lack of adequate housing, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and other essential civic amenities. The concept of the Forest Lines has been developed to address these concerns by providing employees and their families with a secure and well-equipped residential environment.
Confirming the development, the forest officials shared that the site for the first Forest Lines has been identified and the required administrative and technical formalities are now being completed before construction begins. Around 60 hectares of land at Bhopalpani in the Raipur area has been earmarked for the project.
The proposed township will provide residential accommodation for nearly 2,000 forest personnel. In addition, separate residential facilities will be developed for around 50 Indian Forest Service (IFS) cadre officers. The objective is to create a comprehensive integrated campus where officers and employees of different ranks can reside together with access to all essential facilities in one location.
Before construction can commence, the process for diversion of forest land will have to be completed. The Government will forward the necessary proposal to the Central Government for its approval, following which other statutory and legal formalities will be undertaken. Construction work is expected to begin once all mandatory clearances have been obtained.
It has been claimed that the proposed Forest Lines will not merely be a residential colony but a fully integrated township equipped with modern civic infrastructure. Plans include the development of a hospital, school, community centre, internal roads, drinking water supply, electricity network and other essential public amenities. The integrated campus is intended to ensure that families of forest personnel have convenient access to education, healthcare and other basic services without having to depend on facilities located elsewhere.
The Forest officials also claim that the project will also significantly boost the morale of its workforce. At present, many forest personnel serve in difficult and inaccessible locations while their families are compelled to live separately in towns and cities due to the absence of adequate residential and educational facilities near their places of posting. The proposed township is expected to provide a safe, organised and comfortable living environment for their families while enabling employees to discharge their duties with greater peace of mind.
Sources added that the government is also working on plans to establish similar Forest Lines in both the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions in the coming years. For the present, the approval for the first Forest Lines at Raipur is being viewed as a major milestone towards improving the welfare of Uttarakhand’s forest personnel. The officials have expressed hope that once the remaining approvals and formalities are completed, construction of the long-awaited project will commence, providing forest employees with a modern residential township that has remained a long-standing aspiration of the department.
