DG Forests for massive afforestation drive in J&K

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 6: Siddhanta Das, Director General (DG) Forests and Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India who is in the Valley on an official tour today chaired a high-level meeting of senior forest officers of the State at Sheikh Bagh Forest Complex.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Suresh Chugh informed the DG Forests with various aspects of the department including demarcation/consolidation of forest boundaries and digitalization of forest records/maps and forest management aspects of coniferous forests of Jammu and Kashmir.
The DG briefed the meeting about the role of forests in carbon sequestration and India’s commitments in this matter at the international level. He exhorted upon the forest officers to adopt landscape based catchment area treatment approach to maximize the carbon sequestration, improve groundwater recharge and also meet the demands of local population for timber, firewood and fodder.
He lauded the efforts of the J&K Forest Department in protection and conservation of existing forests and also increasing the tree cover. He assured full cooperation and support of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India in the management of forests in Jammu and Kashmir and also emphasized on effective forest fire control and management, consolidation of forest boundaries, besides carrying out massive afforestation drives in the State.
Senior officers of the Forest Department including Ravi Kumar Kesar, Chairman, Pollution Control Board J&K, P.K. Singh, Director Soil and Water Conservation Department J&K, B. Sidhratha, Director Environment and Remote Sensing Department J&K, Neelu Gera, Director Social Forestry Department J&K, Shri Sarvesh Rai, Addl. Pr. Chief Conservator of Forests, CAMPA J&K, Shri Asaf Mehmood Sagar, Director, Forest Protection Force J&K, Vasu Yadav, Managing Director, State Forest Corporation J&K, Syed Farooq Ahmad Gillani, Chief Conservator of Forests Kashmir, Preet Pal Singh, Chief Conservator of Forests, K. Ramesh Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forests, Nodal Officer/FCA, P.K. Raghav, Chief Conservator of Forests, Planning and Projects Irfan Rasool Wani, Conservator of Forests, Kashmir North Circle, Tawheed Ahmad Deva, Conservator of Forests Kashmir South Circle and Irfan Ali Shah, Conservator of Forests Working Plan Circle participated in the meeting.

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