हिंदी
Chandigarh September 23- Haryana Forest Minister, Mr. Kanwar Pal has appealed the departmental officers as well as people of the state to actively participate to achieve the target given by Central Government to the states for increasing the total area under forest and trees in the country by year 2024-25.
Mr. Kanwar Pal after presiding over a review meeting held at Van Bhawan Panchkula with the department officers, after attending a meeting recently held under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Mr. Prakash Javadekar with forest ministers of all the states and Union Territories held through video conferencing.
The Forest Minister was apprised that the Central Government in its vision has targeted six projects, in which setting up city forests in cities, school nursery schemes, plantation under Twenty-point programme, Conservation of 13 rivers in the country though forest, use of LIDAR technology for soil moisture conservation and giving national transit permit for farmers to save timber.
Mr. Kanwar Pal said that this is an important programme of Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. A target has already been set to increase the total area of forest and trees in the state from 7 percent to 20 percent in the next three years. On the basis of 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 taken under plantation. The target of planting 1.30 crore saplings has been set during this year’s Van Mahotsav and more than 80 percent target has been achieved, which is also a significant achievement of the department.
Mr. Kanwar Pal said that now it is the responsibility of the department to make this programme successful and Haryana should work on all these schemes on priority basis and ensure its completion before time.
It was also informed that this time plantation as well as fencing of Panchayati land has been started by the department and 1,34,600 saplings have been planted in 272.5 hectare area during the year 2020-21 and in the coming years, this area will be increased to 1000 hectares.
The Forest Minister said that though the river Yamuna and Ghaggar are two major rivers in the state under river conservation, a target of planting 7.40 lakh saplings on their banks has been set, which is a commendable initiative of the department. Under this programme mainly Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Faridabad and Palwal districts will be covered in 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 scheme, Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal had already started a plan to motivate school children to take care of the saplings planted from the year 2016 and now an app has also been launched, wherein students can upload their photographs along with the planted sapling and after every six months an incentive is also given to them.
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 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, and Yamunanagar. He said that under bio-diversification schemes, work is going on in Kasan, Badkhal, and Murthal. This time during the Van Mahotsav, sowing was also done through drone, said Mr. Kanwar Pal.
The Forest Minister said that due to increase in pollution levels, conservation and promotion of wild animals has become very essential. Therefore it is very important that the forest area should be increased, along with ensuring wildlife conservation so as to maintain the natural balance. The Forest Department organizes Van Mahotsav and Wildlife Safety Week every year to make people aware of the importance of forests. He said that during the Van Mahotsav, which is being celebrated during the monsoon every year, people should pledge to plant at least two saplings.
It was also informed in the meeting that plantation will be done in 7246 Hectare area under the Twenty-point programme. Under soil moisture conservation, 125 check dams have been made in Shivalik forest area and 8 check dams are in progress, he said.
The Minister informed that concrete steps are being taken by the department towards conservation of wild animals. Peacock and Chinkara Breeding Centre have been set up in Jhabua, Rewari. Similarly, to stop the decreasing number of vultures and to increase their population, India’s first vulture conservation and breeding centre has been set up at Pinjore.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr. Amarinder Kaur, Principal Conservator of Forests, Mr. VS Tanwar, and other officers were present at the meeting.
