Guwahati: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday directed the forest department to use satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and prevent encroachment of forest land at an early stage, stressing that timely intervention could help avoid large-scale eviction drives.Addressing the launch of an online transfer portal for forest department employees at Lok Sewa Bhawan at Dispur, the CM said the department should develop an alert system to identify encroachment in reserve forests before it spreads over large areas.He criticised the practice of forest officials approaching police only after encroachment had expanded and asked divisional forest officers (DFOs) to take preventive measures.The CM said more than 600 hectares of forest land had recently been freed from encroachment, while eviction drives were continuing. He called for a database of encroached forest land and directed the department to begin afforestation immediately on cleared plots to expand Assam’s green cover.Sarma also urged the department to strengthen wildlife conservation, noting that despite the elimination of rhino poaching in the state, equal attention should be given to protecting other wildlife species.The chief minister further asked the department to increase revenue collection, which has remained stagnant at around Rs 700 crore annually over the past three years. He said govt should plug loopholes leading to revenue losses and create legal sources for stone, sand and other construction materials to curb illegal quarrying and mining.Pointing to the demand for construction materials for national highway projects worth around Rs 1 lakh crore in Assam, Sarma said legalising viable stone quarries and sand mining sites would generate govt revenue and employment opportunities for local youth.The CM launched the Employee Transfer Randomization System (ETRS), an online portal for the forest department, through which transfers of 2,137 eligible employees were carried out. The system aims to make transfers transparent, fair and systematic, initially covering employees who had completed three years at their current postings.The chief minister urged other govt departments to adopt similar online transfer mechanisms, saying transparent administrative processes could improve employee efficiency.
