हिंदी
Chandigarh, August 17: Haryana Forest Minister, Mr. Kanwar Pal said that the target has been set to increase the total area under forest and trees from 7 percent to 20 percent in the next three years in the state. Based on the pilot project, ‘COVID Vatika’ will be set up in 1100 villages of the state, and every year, the same number of villages will be brought under plantation. The target of planting 1.3 crore saplings has been set during this year’s Van Mahotsav and nearly 80 percent has been met.
Mr.Kanwar Pal was representing Haryana at the meeting of Forest Ministers of all the states and union territories convened through video conferencing by Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Mr. Prakash Javadekar today.
In the meeting, Mr. Javadekar gave a vision of 2024-25 to the states to increase the area under forests in the country, targeting six new projects of his ministry which mainly includes setting up of city forest in cities, school nursery scheme, plantation under the 20-point programme, conservation of 13 major rivers of the country through forests, use of LIDAR technology for soil moisture conservation and National Transit Permit for farmers to save timber.
Welcoming the initiative taken by Mr. Javadekar to interact with the Forest Ministers of the states, Haryana Forest Minister, Mr. Kanwarpal said that Haryana will work on all these schemes on a priority basis and will fulfill the given target ahead of time. He also informed that fencing on the land of Panchayats has been started by the department and during the year 2020-21, 1,34,600 saplings have been planted in 272.5 Hectare Area and this area will be increased to 1000 Hectare Area in the coming years.
The Forest Minister also informed that Yamuna and Ghaggar are two major rivers in the state that come under river conservation and 7.40 lakh saplings will be planted along their banks. He said that sapling will be planted in Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Faridabad and Palwal along the Yamuna River while along the Ghaggar River saplings will be planted in Morni Hills, Panchkula, Ambala, Kaithal, Fatehabad, and Sirsa. Similarly, under the school nursery, Chief Minister Mr. Manohar Lal had already started a scheme to motivate school children to plant saplings and to take care of them since 2016 and now an app has been launched, on which the students can upload their photographs along with the plants for which after every six months the student will be given incentive. He informed that under the Urban Forest Scheme, one city forest has been developed at Sadhaura in Yamunanagar district and Murthal in Sonipat district. Now, under the Central Government’s plan, a detailed project report has been prepared to develop Urban Forest in an area of 397 hectares in the cities of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Palwal, Yamunanagar. Likewise, work is going on in Kasan, Badkhal, and Murthal under bio-diversification schemes. He informed that this time during the Van Mahotsav, sowing was also done through drone.
Mr. Kanwarpal informed that Van Mahotsav and Wildlife Safety Week is organized every year by the Forest Department to make people aware of the importance of forests. In view of the increasing pollution on a daily basis it is very important to conserve wildlife and increase forest cover to maintain the natural balance. People should pledge to plant at least two saplings on the occasion of Van Mahotsav celebrated during the monsoon every year. He said that plantation would be done on 7246 hectares area under the 20-point program. Under soil moisture conservation, 125 check dams have been made in the Shivalik forest area and work of 8 check dams is under progress. From time to time, the work of desilting is also done. The Forest Minister said that agro-forestry is also very popular among the people in Yamunanagar, and Jagadhri area of the state and along with agriculture, Poplar and Eucalyptus saplings are also planted.
He informed that concrete steps have also been taken by the State Government in the direction of conservation and promotion of extinct wildlife species. A ‘Peacock and Chinkara Breeding Centre’ has been established in the Jhabua Reserve Forest area located in Rewari district. Similarly, to arrest the decline in the number of vultures and to increase their population, India’s first ‘Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre’ has been established in Pinjore. Red wild rooster species are being successfully bred at the Pheasant Breeding Centre in Morni. ‘Chinkara Breeding Centre’ has been established in Kairu village of Bhiwani District and ‘Crocodile Breeding Centre’ in Bhor Saidan.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr. Amarinder Kaur, Principal Conservator of Forests, Mr. VS Tanwar, and other officers were present at the meeting.
