Forest-revenue department disputes pile up:Chief Secretary says ‘I have become complaint officer; ACS Deepali flags ground reality gap

In Madhya Pradesh, a meeting of departmental heads held on Wednesday regarding the long-standing boundary dispute between the Forest and Revenue departments suddenly became heated. ACS Deepali Rastogi of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department clearly stated in the meeting that the discussion taking place here is completely different from the ground reality. On this, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain also commented on the state of the system, saying that he has now become the “Chief Complaint Officer” because every kind of complaint and dispute is reaching him. Even today in villages it’s not determined whether land belongs to forest or revenue In the meeting, ACS Sanjay Shukla of the General Administration Department said that in many villages of the state, it is still not clear which land belongs to the Forest Department and which to Revenue. This is why situations of continuous disputes are arising. Problem becomes complex due to different scales of Forest-Revenue Deepali Rastogi also said that due to the different scales of the Forest and Revenue departments, the problem becomes more complex, due to which no concrete solution is emerging. Former Principal Secretary presented Forest Department’s side, discussion heated up During the meeting, the Forest Department’s side was presented by former Principal Secretary Ashok Barnwal instead of the current Principal Secretary. Due to this, the discussion became even more heated and differences among officials came out in the open. Chief Secretary gave these instructions All departments to submit 2026-27 action plan by April 15 Chief Secretary Anurag Jain instructed all departmental heads in the meeting to submit their work plan and targets for the financial year 2026-27 by April 15, incorporating Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav’s top priorities. He also asked officers to provide details of major achievements of the past two and a half years and upcoming plans within a week. Strictness on CM Helpline and Public Service Guarantee The Chief Secretary reviewed cases pending beyond the time limit related to CM Helpline and Public Service Guarantee. He directed that these cases be reviewed every week and sample checks also be conducted to ensure satisfactory resolution. Review of pre-1947 laws by May 31 The meeting also reviewed the process of amending, repealing or bringing new acts for laws made before independence. The Chief Secretary directed to complete this work on priority by May 31, so that Cabinet approval can be obtained if needed. Instructions regarding drinking water, hand pumps and heat Keeping in view the heat, the Chief Secretary gave instructions to ensure availability of drinking water. He said that SOP for digging new hand pumps will be issued in a day or two. Information about making necessary materials available in districts was also given in the meeting. Focus also on preventing arson and health system Instructions were given to create an action plan for preventing and responding to fire incidents in rural areas. The Home Department was asked to gather information about resources available at the police station level and disseminate it to the general public. Emphasis was also placed on strengthening arrangements for treatment and prevention of heat-related illnesses. Instructions to Update Online Services and Portal While reviewing the MP e-Service Portal, the Chief Secretary said that 1055 services have been made online so far. He directed all departments to update their services and make the portal more user-friendly.