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Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 05 June 2015

• World Environment Day: Need to protect wetlands, remove encroachments: Padder

SRINAGAR: Minister for Forests & Social Welfare, Mr. Bali Bhagat today emphasized the need to work together and create awareness to conserve Biodiversity, Environment and Ecology. He said the issue is very pertinent to the state as J&K is having tourist ecology and the floods of last year were a case of Climate Change. The Minister was speaking at a function organized by the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing to celebrate the World Environment Day here today.

Minister of State for Forests, Abdul Majid Padder was also present on the occasion. Mr. Bhagat said that J&K being a fragile state, cannot compromise on the protection of environment and its forests because, if ecology is safe, tourism is also safe. He added that Nature had been very benevolent to J&K and has made it a hot spot of bio-diversity. Terming biodiversity vital for social and economic development, Mr Bhagat said it is a challenge for us to use Biodiversity for sustainable development.

He asked the participating students to come forward and spread the message of conservation and protection of environment. In his address, Minister of State for Forests, Mr. Abdul Majid Padder said that people have to be sensitized to reduce carbon foot print as the climate change is knocking at our doors and urgent action is required in this regard. Mr. Padder stressed on the need for protection of wetlands and removal of encroachments, so that they act as cushions during the floods. On the occasion, three reports on the land use mapping II cycle, National Spatial Urban Infrastructure and Monitoring of Wular Lake, were also released. Also a website on the Climate Change Centre of J&K was also launched (jknmshe-ccc.org). Director, Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, Mr. Suresh Chugh, PCCF, Mr. A K. Singh, Chairman, Pollution Control Board, Mr. Abdul Razak, Director Soil Conservation, Mr. Ravi Kesar, Chief IWDP P K Singh, Director Social Forestry, Mr. Arun Tickoo besides other senior officers of the concerned departments were present on the occasion.