Bathinda, May 25 -- In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state, the Punjab forest department has finalised a plan to map forest boundaries using high-resolution satellite data to ensure clearer demarcation of forest land and check encroachment disputes. Officials said the exercise will help precisely identify and document forest boundaries in ecologically sensitive zones and forest patches spread along nearly 50,000 km of canals, roads and railway tracks across the state. The exercise is expected to strengthen enforcement against encroachments and resolve long-pending disputes related to forest land, officials added. Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Dharminder Sharma said the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre will undertake the task and the mapping exercise is expected to begin soon. Officials said the project is aimed at addressing persistent challenges in demarcating forest areas in the state. Punjab has nearly 2,000 sq km of forest area in the Kandi belt located in the Shivalik foothills across Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ropar and Mohali districts. Apart from notified forest land, areas along railway tracks, canals and roads are also designated as forest land, covering an approximate linear stretch of 50,000 km. Officials said reliance on old maps and conventional demarcation methods has often made it difficult to clearly distinguish forest land from adjoining private and agricultural holdings. Initially, the department had planned a large-scale scientific mapping drive using advanced technologies such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and drone surveys....