Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 5: N.N. Vohra, Governor, has urged young Forest Service officers to work with commitment and zeal for effectively meeting the challenges arising from the excessive exploitation of natural resources.
He said this while interacting with a group of 34 Indian Forest Service Probationers (2014 Batch) from the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun, who are currently on a tour to Jammu and Kashmir, at the Raj Bhavan today. The Governor had met another group of Forest Service Probationers earlier this week.
The Governor observed that it is of vital importance for people all over the world to conserve, protect and use natural resources with utmost care. Urging the future Forest Administrators to work with dedication for the conservation of forests in all parts of the country, where they would be deployed after training, the Governor said that there is a very urgent need for devising viable strategies for effectively protecting forests and wildlife. Referring to the forest cover in J&K, the Governor said that, with the return of normalcy, high attention is now being devoted to the conservation, regeneration and expansion of forests.
The Governor, who is Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, observed that the Board had secured the services of two Indian Forest Service Officers for taking various initiatives for carrying out afforestation of the entire Shrine area in the Trikuta Hills where the Forest Wing of the Shrine Board is planting 2-3 lakh saplings every year.
Referring to his own experience of working in the high altitude areas in the years past, the Governor urged the Probationers to lease every opportunity for ensuring the preservation of the biodiversity and the ecological balance. He also stressed the importance of definitive efforts being taken to ensure that all steps for the preservation of forest wealth are taken by keeping in view the bona fide interests of the people living in the forest areas.
The Governor wished the Probationers successful careers in the Indian Forest Service.
P.K.Tripathi, Principal Secretary to the Governor; A.K. Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, J&K; Rajiv Tiwari, CCF, Kashmir and B. Balaji, Associate Professor, IGNFA were present on the occasion.
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