Hyderabad, Oct 8 (IANS): Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday called for coordination between the Police and Forest Departments to check plundering of forest wealth.

He directed them to take stern action taken against those resorting to smuggling of forest wealth.

At a meeting with ministers and senior officials, he said due to the negligent attitude of the past rulers, timber smuggling became an easy business for some but the Telangana government had taken a serious note of it.

He said in order to put an end to smuggling of forest wealth, the police should join hands with the forest officers, and actively participate in programmes like "Haritha Haram" to develop awareness about forests and effectively control the smuggling of forest wealth.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, also asked the forest officials to have coordination with the local police to control the smuggling activities. He suggested that higher officials from both the departments should have regular coordination meetings and prepare an action plan to curb timber smuggling. Only through such coordinated efforts a good service can be rendered to the society, he added.

Home Minister Mehmood Ali, Forest Minister Indrakaran Reddy, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, DGP Mahender Reddy, Government's Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, Advisor Anurag Sharma, CM's Principal Secretary S. Narsing Rao, CM Secretary Smita Sabharwal, OSD Priyanka Varghese, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Shobha and other officials attended the meeting.

The Chief Minister also asked the police officials to ensure that those retiring from their service should get their pension settlement on their day of retirement and they should be respectfully sent to their homes the same day.

He said for those who have served their major part of life in the department should be dropped in a vehicle till their residence on the day of their retirement. This tradition should continue, the CM said.

KCR said there should not be any delay in making the appointments on the compassionate grounds in the Police Department. He said every eligible family member of the deceased employee should be given jobs based on their eligible qualification and an immediate action plan should be put in place for this.

He suggested to the DGP to find out if there were vacancies in other departments and fill them up with the candidates in the wait list.

The Chief Minister also felt that more effort should be put in the Police Department for the welfare of women employees. Since 33 per cent reservation for women is being implemented in the Police Department, the number of women employees is on the rise. Hence at all the police offices, police stations and other wings where women are employed, rest rooms and other facilities for them should be created, he said.