Gujarat reorganises Porbandar Forest Division to strengthen lion rehabilitation in Barda

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has reorganised the Porbandar Forest Division to strengthen forest management and administrative support for the conservation and rehabilitation of Asiatic lions in Barda, according to a press release issued by the state government.

The reorganisation follows the natural return of Asiatic lions to Barda after 143 years. The move is aimed at strengthening forest protection, wildlife management, implementation of Forest Department schemes and the resolution of forest- and environment-related issues in Porbandar district.

Under the revised structure, responsibilities at the range, beat and officer levels have been reorganised, along with the administrative control of staff and resources, including vehicles, weapons, wireless equipment, records and other infrastructure.

Porbandar Range covers 6,840.84 hectares

Under the new structure, the Porbandar Range will cover 6,840.84 hectares and 80 villages. The area has been divided into beats including Porbandar City, Gosabara, Moker, Visavada, Kantela, Madhavpur and Satiya.

The revised beat structure assigns specific areas and villages to individual beats, giving forest officials clearer responsibility for patrolling, conservation and other field operations.

Ranavav Range covers 13,051.25 hectares

The Ranavav Range will cover 13,051.25 hectares and 27 villages. Areas including Godana, Bileshwar, Savdivadar and Ranavav have been organised under different beats.

The division of the Porbandar and Ranavav ranges into clearly defined beats is intended to improve forest protection, patrolling and implementation of departmental activities at the local level.

305.94 hectares transferred to Bhanvad Range

As part of the reorganisation, 305.94 hectares from the RFW Bhatia Range under the Jamnagar Forest Division have been transferred to the Bhanvad Range of the Porbandar Forest Division.

The transferred area covers four villages in Bhanvad taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district — Kandarda Jogna, Sajdiyala, Juna and Jambusar. Its administrative functions will now come under the Porbandar Forest Division.

The transfer is aimed at bringing interconnected forest areas under a more integrated administrative arrangement.

Kutiyana and social forestry ranges added

The Kutiyana Range, Porbandar Social Forestry Range and Ranavav Social Forestry Range have also been brought under the Porbandar Forest Division.

As part of the restructuring, the duties of officers and staff will be revised, while vehicles, weapons, walkie-talkies, wireless equipment, records, computers, furniture and other resources will be transferred as per the prescribed procedure.

Two Assistant Conservators of Forests to oversee ranges

The reorganised division will have two Assistant Conservators of Forests (ACFs) to supervise different ranges.

ACF-1 will oversee the Porbandar Range, Porbandar Social Forestry Range and Ranavav Social Forestry Range. ACF-2 will be responsible for the Ranavav Range, Bhanvad Range, Kutiyana Range and Mobile Squad (T.A.) Range.

The arrangement is intended to provide clearer officer-level supervision across the division.

ACF post transferred from Kevadia

With the addition of the Kutiyana, Porbandar Social Forestry and Ranavav Social Forestry ranges, the Porbandar Forest Division will have seven ranges.

To support the expanded structure, 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 its existing post.

Mobile Squad brought under new structure

The Range Forest Officer of the Porbandar Forest Division will also oversee the operations of the division’s Mobile Squad. The move is intended to facilitate prompt action during field operations.

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 ACFs supervising their respective ranges.

The reorganisation covers both administrative boundaries and the deployment of staff and resources. The state government said the new structure will strengthen forest conservation, wildlife management and field administration, while providing greater administrative support for lion conservation and management of the Barda forest landscape.

The resolution came into effect immediately upon its publication. DeshGujarat