Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 6: Departmental Related Standing Committee -I of Legislative Council on Forest Department, was held under the Chairmanship of Ravinder Kumar Sharma here today
Members, Ch. Nizam-u-din Khatana, Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah, Bashir Ahmad Magray and Dharambir Singh Oberoi were present in the meeting.
Commissioner Secretary Forest, Ejaz Iqbal, Principal Chief Conservator Forest, Vinod Ranjan, Chief Conservator Forest Jammu, Chairman Pollution Control Board, Director Social Forestry, Director Fisheries and other officers of concerned departments also attended the meeting.
The Committee discussed various issues for preservation of the state’s ecology and measures taken for the purpose. It divulged upon the matter like protection of forests, forest encroachments, conservation of wetlands and water bodies, fish deaths in Nigeen Lake and non implementation of ban on polythene and other related issues.
The Committee was informed that the State has total 20230 square kilometers area under forests out of which 13360Sq Km area is under encroachment and Forest Department has taken an initiative by which 720sq kms have been evicted.
It was said that the efforts are being made by the field, supervisory and executive staff of the Forest Department to initiate all possible measures against any attempt of encroachment and wherever needed the support of the Forest Protection Force, Police or Revenue Department is sought. The Committee asked the forest Department to submit the achev taken report on forest encroachments.
The Committee urged upon the Forest Department that they have to play pivotal role for the protection of the forests and bring encroachments to the zero level. It also stressed upon the department to constitute the special team consisting of members from Forest and Revenue Departments to sort out the confusions regarding the demarcation of forest land and revenue land.
The Committee also discussed issues regarding the steps taken for the conservation of Hangul and Snow Leopard besides, the conservation of wet lands.
The Committee took the serious note of large scale deaths of fishes in Nigeen Lake and asked the concerned department to submit the report regarding the cause of deaths upto September 20.
The Committee also expouned serious concern over non- implementation of the ban on polythene carry bags and recommended the government to take concrete measures to stop this menace. Committee also asked the concerned department to prepare a task force to stop the importing of polythene carry bags.
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