Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 2: Minister of State for Education, Tourism and Culture, Priya Sethi today called for preservation of wetlands and stressed on creating mass awareness campaigns to educate stakeholders from all walks of society, particularly local communities on the value of wetland ecosystems. Click here to watch video
The Minister stated this during Photography and Painting Exhibition organised by J&K Tourism Department to mark the “World Wetlands Day” celebrations. The Gharana Wetland, a home to migratory birds was the cynosure of the event.
The photographs of different species of birds visiting “Gharana” as seen from the lens of Chief Justice, J&K High Court, Badar Durrez Ahmed along with the photographs of wetlands of Jammu region portrayed by various photographers were also showcased during the exhibition.
While speaking on the occasion, the Minister stressed on conservation of Gharana wetlands and its adjoining wetlands of Makwal, Kukdian, Abdullian and Pargwal, known as the paradise of migratory birds.
Located along the border areas in Jammu, all these wetlands are recognized as important bird sites, the Minister said, adding that the preservation of these wetlands will not only boost the border tourism but also prove to be a key aspect for sustainable development of such areas.
Underlining the importance of conservation and sustainable management of the wetlands, Priya said that the continued functioning of wetlands has acquired a new meaning in the age of increasing water and food security. “Wetland conservation acquires prominence for the security of human well being and are also the life support for a range of plant and animal life and with its degradation, the existence of these life forms would be under jeopardy”, she maintained.
On the occasion, a live painting on the theme “Wings and Wetland Birds” was carried out by eminent artist, KK Gandhi.
Students from various schools and colleges also visited the exhibition to have a glance to the wetland heritage of the state and know about the migratory birds.
Prominent among others who were present on the occasion were Advisor Infrastructure Development, Pradeep Singh, Director Tourism Jammu, Smita Sethi, Dy Director, Showkat Mehmood, Dy. Director Information (PR) Jammu, Atul Gupta, Dy. Director Information, (AV) Rakesh Dubey, ADT, Jammu, Rupali Mahajan, besides senior functionaries of Tourism Department .
Directorate of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing also organised a programme at Surinsar to mark the “World Wetlands Day”.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Ravi Kesar presided over the programme.
Chairman ,State Pollution Control Board(SPCB), B Siddhartha, Chief Wildlife Warden, Manoj Panth, Director Social Forestry , Ashwani Gupta, Director SFRI, B M Sharma, Director Soil Water and Conservation , Javed Iqbal Punju, Chief Conservator of Forests, Farooq Gillani, Managing Director State Forest Corporation, Suresh Gupta, Regional Director ,SPCB, Showkat Chowdhary, Regional Director Wildlife Warden, Dr V S Sinthil Kumar, Regional Director Social Forestry, Roop Kour Avtar, Conservator East Circle, Kh Qamar-ud-Din besides other senior officers of forests were present on the occasion.
While addressing a large gathering, PCCF stressed on importance of preservation of wetlands as they are the life support systems that ensure functioning of the water cycle.
The PCCF said that the Forest Department and its allied wings have been tasked with a very important role to conserve the wetlands and other natural resources which directly impact the life of human beings and other living creatures. He said dedicated efforts are required to meet this noble cause.
He appealed the people to actively organize and participate in plantation drives in monsoon every year to make it a regular activity. He stressed the need for coordinated efforts with the involvement of various stakeholders to minimize loss to the natural resources.
Earlier, the Directorate of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing organized various programmes like painting competition, debate competition, and cultural activities to generate mass awareness on wetland and its importance for our livelihood.
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