Gandhinagar
The Gujarat government has reorganised the Porbandar Forest Division, including its range and beat structure, to strengthen field-level administration as Asiatic lions establish themselves in Barda forest, the Forest and Environment Department said on Tuesday.
The reorganisation, approved under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, will bring changes in the administrative control of forest ranges, beats, officers, staff and resources, with the stated objective of improving forest management and facilitating the implementation of departmental schemes and resolution of forest and environment-related issues in Porbandar district. The move comes after Asiatic lions naturally returned to Barda after 143 years. The revised administrative structure will cover the Barda region as well as other forest areas under the Porbandar Forest Division and provide for clearer responsibilities at the range and beat levels.
Under the new arrangement, the Porbandar Range will cover 6,840.84 hectares and 80 villages. It will be divided into beats including Porbandar City, Gosabara, Moker, Visavada, Kantela, Madhavpur and Satiya, with specific areas and villages assigned to each beat. The Ranavav Range will cover 13,051.25 hectares and 27 villages, with areas including Godana, Bileshwar, Savdivadar and Ranavav distributed among different beats. The restructuring also transfers 305.94 hectares from the RFW Bhatia Range of the Jamnagar Forest Division to the Bhanvad Range of the Porbandar Forest Division. The transferred area covers four villages — Kandarda Jogna, Sajdiyala, Juna and Jambusar — in Bhanvad taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district. Its administrative functions will now come under the Porbandar Forest Division. The Kutiyana Range, Porbandar Social Forestry Range and Ranavav Social Forestry Range will also be brought under the Porbandar Forest Division. The division will consequently have seven ranges.
To support the expanded structure, provision has been made for two Assistant Conservators of Forests. Assistant Conservator of Forests-1 will oversee the Porbandar, Porbandar Social Forestry and Ranavav Social Forestry ranges, while Assistant Conservator of Forests-2 will oversee the Ranavav, Bhanvad and Kutiyana ranges and the Mobile Squad (T.A.) Range. One vacant Assistant Conservator of Forests post from the two sanctioned posts at Kevadia will be transferred to the Porbandar Forest Division, in addition to the existing post. The Porbandar Forest Division will continue to function under the Junagadh Wildlife Circle, with the Deputy Conservator of Forests overseeing the division and the two Assistant Conservators supervising their respective ranges.
The Range Forest Officer will also be responsible for the Porbandar Forest Division’s Mobile Squad, bringing its operations within the reorganised administrative framework. The restructuring will involve the transfer or redistribution of staff and resources, including vehicles, weapons, walkie-talkies, wireless equipment, records, computers, furniture and other departmental assets. The government resolution said the changes are intended to provide clearer field-level responsibilities and strengthen administrative support for forest conservation, wildlife management and lion rehabilitation in Barda. The resolution came into effect immediately upon publication.