Varanasi: In view of the LPG crisis, forest department is arranging firewood for kitchens in eastern UP homes. Conservator of Forests, Varanasi Circle, Ravi Kumar Singh, held a meeting on Monday regarding availability of firewood in the division, with the objective of judicious use of petroleum products, development of alternative energy resources and making them accessible to the general public. All divisional logging managers of the circle, forest corporation, UP, Mirzapur, divisional sales manager, UP Forest Corporation, Varanasi and DFOs participated in the meeting. Uttar Pradesh Forest Corporation, divisional sales manager, Taufiq Ahmad, said that 1,407 cubic metres of firewood is available at seven timber depots located at different places, including Prayagraj meja timber depot, Mauaima depot, Kaushambi Fatehpur timber depot, Pratapgarh Tawankalpur timber depot, Varanasi, Chandauli Ratanbagh Timber depot, Jaunpur timber depot and Ghazipur Nandganj timber depot.Forest corporation officials presented base price of firewood for financial year 2025-26, which starts from a minimum of Rs 405 per cubic metre. The general public can purchase firewood from these depots through regular auction at the rate of Rs 866 per cubic metre. High calorific value timber such as babool, sagaun (teak), jamun and sheesham is available in sufficient quantity at the depots, which can fulfil energy requirements of small-scale industries too.Other small industries such as restaurants, dhabas and those requiring fuel for private use can procure firewood from these govt depots of the forest corporation.Conservator of forests, Varanasi circle, directed forest officials to sell firewood timber at base price at departmental rates to the general public by providing exemption from auction at the depots. He further directed the forest officials of Varanasi, Ghazipur, Rampur and Jaunpur divisions to get timber sawn by licensed mills and make firewood available to general public at departmental rates.
