Ever since the ‘Hello Forest’ helpline number 1926 was officially launched in January, the forest department has been inundated with many calls from the public. This helpline was initiated to make forest governance transparent and credible.

Pravin Shrivastava, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (IT), said that earlier, there was no single point public interface with the forest department. The call centres are set up in Goregaon, Mumbai which are handled by SAAR IT solutions. It’s operations will also be supervised by experts from Pune and Nagpur.

Sunil Limaye, Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife- Pune division) said that most of the calls are related to forest fires and illicit tree felling. Once a call is received, an SMS and email is promptly sent to the concerned forest officer to act on the complaint. Action will be taken on various complaints in minimum 48 hours to maximum of four days. The 24x7 helpline will also revert to the caller and inform him of the action taken.

People can make calls under emergency and general categories. Residents can enquire about plantations, conservation strategies, wildlife information, timber trade, eco tourism and others.

Officials say that the maximum calls are made regarding forest fires, illicit tree felling, encroachment on forest land and wildlife animal sightings. There is a database that maps all forest officers. Selected subject experts reveal information on topics related to the forest issues like conservation, plantation, and social forestry among others.