Chirag Gupta
Patna: A review meeting on sawmill operations was held at Aranya Bhawan under the chairmanship of Dr. Prem Kumar, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bihar. Senior officials, including the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and various regional forest officers, participated in person and via videoconferencing to discuss the provisions of the Bihar Wood Sawing (Regulation) Act, 1990.
The provisional priority list includes 2,725 licensed sawmills across the state, with district-wise counts such as Patna (287), Muzaffarpur (165), Siwan (190), and Vaishali (152). Operators have been given an opportunity to submit objections or representations within the specified timeframe before the final list is published. Additionally, steps are being taken to identify sawmill owners who applied for licenses before October 29, 2002, but have not yet been granted them.
The Minister emphasised the importance of transparency and compliance in the process and directed officials to expedite preparations for issuing licenses. It is expected that the Chief Minister will distribute licenses to the selected operators in December 2024.
This initiative aims to streamline the regulation of sawmills in Bihar while ensuring environmental and legal standards are upheld.
