JAMMU, NOVEMBER 17 (KNS): The J&K Forest Department has initiated a UT wide campaign involving members of Gram Panchayats, ULBs, Paryavaran Mitras, locals and Forest staff to clean forest areas from plastic/ polythene garbage. Focus is being laid at tourist destinations like Patnitop, Batote, Sanasar, Pahalgam, Gulmarg Doodhpathri etc which witness high influx of floating population.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & HoFF J&K Forest Department, Roshan Jaggi, distributed certificates of participation and interacted with participants who conducted such drives in Champa and adjoining areas in Batote in last two days during B2V5 campaign.
PCCF enjoined upon locals and PRI representatives to spread awareness and lead such campaigns regularly in their respective areas to remove garbage and prevent use of SuP items in Forests to maintain health and serenity of natural environment.
The PCCF also inaugurated a City Forest at Gram Panchayat Champa at Batote during B2V programme. The City Forest has been developed over an area of 200 kanals along Batote - Ramban Highway which will offer various facilities to locals as well as tourists moving along the National Highway. Gram Panchayat, Batote Municipal Committee representatives and locals lauded Forest Department for creating recreational avenues.
PCCF & HoFF reviewed the works of Champa Gram Panchayat and participated in plantation programme under Green JK Drive. J&K Forest PCCF also held a high level meeting of officers of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban and Udhampur Districts at Batote to take stock of various developmental and forest protection related works. He inspected the progress of works rehabilitation of over 600 hectare of highly degraded forest area along Nathatop – Sanasar road where 5.50 lakh plants are being planted to regenerate forests on a huge denuded forest land under CAMPA programme. It was informed that an amount of Rs. 2778.5 lakh is being spent under this special eco-restoration project. He informed that upto March 2024, most of the vulnerable forest boundary lines in J&K shall be digitized and demarcated to create a strong deterrence against forest encroachments.
Under new Minor Forest Produce Policy of Department 1140 local households collects 12 Minor Forest Produce species including Guchie, Mushkbala, Dhoob, Nagchattri, Belladonna, Chilgosa etc are getting benefited by earning higher profits under the new policy.
PCCF & HoFF appreciated the efforts of field / officers in slope stabilization works taken under a special CAMPA Project along Batote – Ramban – Banihal National Highway through an improvised geo-textile technology and it is proving very effective in stabilization of Chronic erosion prone vulnerable spots like Nashri.
PCCF & HoFF also inaugurated the winter planting programme under Green J&K Drive 2023-24 at Shopian and Anantnag areas in Kashmir Valley during his two day visit to these areas. PCCF& HoFF was accompanied by senior officers from Forest and allied departments during his field visits.(KNS)