By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 5 Apr: A review meeting was chaired by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF), Forest Fire and Disaster Management, Nishant Verma, for the collection of pine sawdust and establishment of pellets/briquettes units. The meeting was attended by Divisional Forest Officers/Deputy Directors as well as industrialists of pellets/briquettes units. The main objective of the meeting was to prepare pellets/briquettes or other products by collecting as much pine sawdust from the forest surface in the upcoming forest fire season and generate self-employment at the rural level.
It was shared that at present, 5 pellets/briquettes units have been established under the state. The process is underway to establish other units by the department. Apart from this, MoU has been signed with 3 industrialists by Almora Forest Division and with one entrepreneur by Champawat Forest Division for forward linkages of pine sawdust. Divisional forest officers will arrange for the collection of pine needles by women/youth Mangal Dal, self-help groups, forest panchayat members etc. and make it available to entrepreneurs for smooth functioning of the established units. Arrangements are being made by Tehri Dam-II Forest Division for employment generation of women groups under Rural Enterprises Acceleration Project (REAP) run by Uttarakhand Gram Vikas Samiti.
Verma directed all divisional forest officers/deputy directors to prepare an action plan for collection of pine needles and its use. In order to link this collection with livelihood, instructions have also been given to coordinate with the Line Department during the Char Dham Yatra and arrange for road side stalls for the trade of handicrafts made from pine needles and cones. He further directed that collection centres for pine collection should be established at crew stations or posts near them. Some examples of forward linkages have been implemented in the field at present. To expand this, the divisional forest officers in each division should coordinate with the industry department and establish forward linkage of the collected pine needles.
