Comr Secy Forest launches plantation drive, interacts with VPPCs

Reasi : Carrying forward its campaigns under “J&K Green Drive” and “Har Gaon Haryali”, Social Forestry Department Friday organized a plantation drive and interaction programme at Dera Baba Banda Bahadur near Reasi.
Commissioner Secretary, Forest Ecology and Environment Department, Sanjeev Verma was the chief guest on the occasion.
The event was attended by members of District Development Council and Block Development Council and Village Panchayat Plantation Committees (VPPCs) of the area.
The plantation drive was kick started with plantation of “Putranjiva” sapling by the Commissioner Secretary followed by interaction session with VPPCs.
Sanjeev Verma, while speaking on the occasion, said that the department is organizing such programmes across J&K to ensure participation of VPPCs. He appealed the PRIs to provide all logistic support to Social Forestry department in creating the plantation assets and identification of vacant lands for mass plantation in future so that the needs of the locals are met besides mitigating the climatic issues. These “Green assets” will generate financial resources to such panchayats besides generating livelihood and employment avenues for locals.
Principal Chief Conservator Forests/Director, Social Forestry Department, Roshan Jaggi, informed that the department is receiving cooperation from village Panchayats, BDC and DDC representatives who are actively getting involved in plantation drives. The department is organizing such programmes with multiple activities in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir regions to give impetus to J&K Green drive initiative with active participation of local communities.
As per directions of Chief Secretary, the Social Forestry department is going to take up fodder and medicinal plantation on large scale and about 2000 gram panchayats shall be taken up next year under this “Fodder augmentation programme”.
On the occasion, members of VPPCs, BDC and DDC including Former Minister and District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Jagjeevan Lal, expressed their views and gave their suggestions to give further impetus to plantation drives being launched by Social Forestry Department.
Several Panchayat members expressed their desire to spare sizable chunk of Panchayat/Village Common lands for establishing Village Wood Lots (VWLs) as these would be assets of Panchayats. This will help in producing fodder, fuel wood and timber besides raising revenue for Gram Panchayats.
Senior officers of Forest and allied departments including T S Ashok Kumar, Director Soil Conservation, B M Sharma, Additional PCCF Jammu, Mohinder Kumar Gupta, Regional Director Social Forestry Jammu, Anoop Soni, DFO Jammu, Jyotsana, DFO Reasi, Abinav Ramyotra, DFO Social Forestry Udhampur/Reasi, Sanjay Kotwal and DSCO Udhampur/Reasi were also present on the occasion.
Baba Jatinder Pal Singh Sodhi, Gaddinashin, Dera Baba Banda Bahadur, thanked the social forestry department for organizing the programme there.
Around 100 saplings of different indigenous ornamental fruit bearing saplings were also distributed among the local farmers during the event.
Later, Commissioner Secretary visited the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Katra created by Municipal Council Katra for segregation and processing of municipal solid waste on scientific basis on pilot scale.