JAMMU: Setting the ball rolling for monsoon plantation in Jammu region, the Department of Wildlife Protection kick started the ‘Green J&K Drive” from Nandi wildlife sanctuary, about 25 Km from Jammu on Jammu-Udhampur National Highway here today.
The school children, villagers, panches, sarpenches and Forests & Wildlife Officers besides field staff participated in the function at Eco tourism cum Wildlife Range Office Complex , Nandni Wildlife Sanctuary.
The school children from Shining Star Suketar, and Convent schools Dhansal, villagers and panchayat members planted trees.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Suresh Chugh, and Chief Wildlife Warden, Suresh Kumar Gupta launched the drive by planting the Chinar trees.
Chugh stressed upon the need of participation and involvement of local residents, panchayats, school children and teachers in plantation drives to keep the environment healthy for present and coming generations.
The Chief Wildlife Warden while speaking on the occasion stressed on covering degraded patches in Protected Areas and planting fruit and fodder species along with native wild species so as to augment the food requirement of various herbivorous animal species and improve the habitat. He advised children to plant trees on their birth days and other religious occasions and festivals.
Regional Wildlife Warden, Jammu Region, Tahir Shawl, highlighted the drive to be carried out by the Wildlife Protection Department in Wildlife Protected Areas of Jammu, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua districts. He informed that about 2 lakh plants of different fruit, fodder, ornamental and native species along with 4.32 lakh soil binding species including ipomea, agave, bamboo and pathch sowing would be planted in different wildlife protected areas like Nandni Wildlife Sanctuary ,Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary Jammu, Sudhmahadev Conservation Reserve, Manda Deer Park, Surinsar and Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary, Jasrota Wildlife Sanctuary and Thein Wildlife Conservation Reserve covering an area of more than 235 ha under various schemes like CAMPA,CAPEX, and CSS etc during the current monsoon season.
Prominent among others who were present on the occasion included Chief Conservator of Forests Jammu Sameer Bharti, R D Social Forestry, CF East Samuel Changkija, Dr M.K.Kumar, Divisional Forest Officers, Wildlife field staff Range Officer Nandni Wildlife Sanctuary Gulam Qadir.
