Since it was set up in January 2017, the helpline has received 49,429 queries and complaints (Representational Image)
In October last year, one Mr Ranade dialled 1926, the state’s ‘Hello Forest’ helpline, about helping a monkey at Thakurli railway station, which falls under the Thane forest division. The Kalyan Forest Range officers found the monkey with a dog. Attempts to catch the monkey were initially futile as the dog kept on trying to bite the staff. Eventually, the officers managed to restrain the dog. The monkey was taken to an animal rescue centre at Katraj in Pune
…In August last year, three persons spotted someone with a torch moving frantically in the woods near Kolhapur. After they called 1926, the Deputy Conservator of Forests at Kolhapur instructed the Range Forest Officer at Panhala to investigate the matter. The officer found an abandoned Maruti Omni, which had a gun, two torches and a dead peacock inside it. A case has been filed against the offenders at JMFC Panhala.
The state’s ‘Hello Forest’ Helpline — 1926 — has responded to a variety of such calls, which range from issues such as rescuing a cobra at Amravati in December last year to saving a tree that is on fire.
The helpline was set up under the Green Maharashtra Mission, which aims to increase the forest cover in the state to 33 per cent, from the current 20.06 per cent.
Since it was set up in January 2017, the helpline has received 49,429 queries and complaints.
As many as 4,115 calls were emergency ones and pertained to complaints of tree felling, poaching or attempted poaching, encroachment on forest land, forest fires and illegal grazing. Forest department officials said they had taken immediate action in 3,966 cases and managed to track 1,996 cases of poaching.
The call centre, to provide a single-point public interface with the forest department, was set up at Goregaon in Mumbai. It has been an interactive platform with citizens, said Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Maharashtra, S Bhagwan.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (IT), Praveen Shrivastava, said the “satisfaction level” among callers was 72 per cent.
All the 11 forest circles were actively involved in responding to the issues reported in the helpline, said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Nagpur, Sunil Limaye. State Forest Department officials said the helpline has also facilitated a connect with citizens. “In this manner, awareness is also created about conservation of the environment,” added Limaye.
The minute the call centre receives a complaint, a case ID is set up and the field forest officer is alerted, who then takes action and reports back after the action is completed.
A time-frame, of minimum 48 hours and maximum four days, has been set aside to work on various complaints. The Forest Department also tries to get back to the caller and inform them about the action taken on their complaints.