BIJNOR: After the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment last week, told the Centre, state governments and Union territories that guesthouses and inspection bungalows in forests cannot be used for commercial purposes, the Bijnor forest department said that the control of these properties should rest only with the department and that they will not use this properties for any commercial activity. A detailed set of guidelines has been issued in this regard.Talking about the guidelines, Bijnor divisional forest officer M Semmaran said, “Forest officers are required to camp inside the forests where no alternate accommodation is available. The forest rest house and inspection bungalow facilities are available only for forest officers primarily for discharge of their duties concerning conservation, protection and management of forest and wildlife. These rest houses have very limited rooms. Therefore, the control of forest rest houses should be with the forest department alone.”“The district administration may, in special circumstances and for a limited period, be granted priority reservation of rooms in forest rest house or bungalow for specific purpose. In no circumstance, the administration will take control of these properties. The power will rest only with forest department,” he said.“From now on, these properties will not be transferred to private and commercial entities in the name of public private partnership. The forest department will make every effort to retain the basic plan of old rest houses and bungalows, many of which are heritage buildings,” the forest officer said.

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