Committees formed for conservation, mgmt of wetlands

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 14: Government today constituted a technical and a grievance committee for conservation and management of wetlands in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the Government order, the Technical Committee will be chaired by Director, Department of Environment, Ecology & Remote Sensing while Special Secretary (Technical ), Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, J&K will be its member secretary.
The four members of the committee will be Chief Conservator of Forests (Working Plan, Research & Training), Law Officer, J&K Pollution Control Committee, Dr Shakil Ahmad Romshoo (Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir), Dr Deepika Slathia (Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu) and Er Ajaz Rasool (Retired Superintendent Engineer, Lakes & Waterways Development Authority). Moreover, any other member may be co-opted by the Committee as per requirement.
The Grievance Committee will comprise of Chief Wildlife Warden J&K as chairperson, Special Secretary/Additional Secretary, Department of Forest, Ecology & Environment (Member-Secretary of the Authority) as member secretary and Member Secretary J&K Pollution Control Committee as member.
As per the order, the Technical Committee shall meet at least once in every quarter to perform its functions which are reviewing brief documents and management plans of the wetlands and giving advice on any technical matter referred by the wetland Authority.
The Grievance Committee will also meet at least once in every quarter to perform its functions. It will provide a mechanism for hearing and forwarding the grievances raised by the public to the Authority.
The order further stated that the Department of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing shall be the Nodal Department for preparing digital inventory, etc, of wetlands of the Union Territory.