Workshop on capacity building of Forest, other deptts inaugurated
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: The Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta today chaired a meeting to review traffic scenario in Jammu and Kashmir.
Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department, Commissioner/ Secretary, Transport Department, ADGP, Traffic, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Transport Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, representative of NHAI, and concerned officers participated in the meeting.
The Chief Secretary expressed serious concern over the alarming figures of fatal road accidents on the National Highway-44 and other major roads in Jammu and Kashmir. He directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to prioritize installation of crash barriers and parapets throughout the accident prone areas and black spots.
NHAI was also asked to install mesh coverings at landslide-prone areas to ensure safety of plying vehicles. Besides, the traffic police was asked to ensure adequate deputation of traffic personnel on the congested stretches to enforce speed limits and discipline in lane driving.
Further, the Chief Secretary directed the Traffic Police to check over-speeding inside the Navayug and Nashri Tunnels and ensure strict compliance to the fixed speed limits. Directions were also issued for expeditious procurement of gadgets to check speed limits for which NHAI has already initiated the process.
While reviewing the recurrent traffic jams on the National Highway due to police checking and nakas, the Chief Secretary directed the concerned to conduct checking of vehicles in a regulated manner without causing disruption to the smooth traffic movement. The enforcement agencies were further asked to submit the factual reports of each checking drive with the higher authorities for ensuring suitable penal action against the delinquents.
To ensure transparency and accountability during the enforcement drives, Dr. Mehta directed mandatory wearing of body cameras by the concerned officials, besides ensuring installation of traffic cameras on all traffic interceptors. The Transport Department was asked to organize a campaign to raise public awareness on traffic rules and reporting of traffic misconduct either by public or enforcement agencies.
With regard to the summer migration of nomadic population, the Chief Secretary informed of the Tribal Affairs Department’s initiative of providing vehicular transportation to the migratory population. Accordingly, the traffic police was asked to make arrangements for proper traffic management in coordination with the Tribal Affairs Department. Similarly, the Traffic Police was also asked to adequately plan for the Amarnath Yatra 2022 in consultation with the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.
Regarding the decongestion of city/town areas, the divisional administrations and traffic police were directed to strictly enforce no-parking norms and vacate illegal parkings within one week. They were asked to launch special drives against pressure horns, unauthorized headlights, and use of tainted glasses in 4-wheelers.
For improving the in-city traffic movement, directions were issued for installation of traffic cameras on a mission mode, in addition to specifying ‘city/town speed limits’.
Moreover, the Chief Secretary directed the Transport Department to ensure installation of High Security Number Plates (HSNP) in all vehicles, within one month.
Meanwhile, Dr Mehta chaired inaugural session of two day workshop on capacity building of JK Forest and other departments being conducted under REDD-Plus Action for Jammu and Kashmir.
The REDD-plus mechanism of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) aims to provide financial incentive for forestry based climate change mitigation activities like reducing carbon emissions from forest degradation and increasing carbon stock through conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
The programme was jointly organized by JK Forest Department and Himalayan Forests Research Institute Shimla.
Commissioner Secretary Forests Ecology and Environment, Sanjeev Verma, was the guest of honour on the occasion.
Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, while addressing on the occasion, said that J&K has emerged as a leader among Indian states in recent years. ‘We are the second best in e-Office initiative and have performed exceptionally well in Covid mitigation and management’, he added. It becomes pertinent that J&K would emerge as a model UT in environmental sector within a year’s time, he asserted. He also called for funding such initiatives by convergence of funds.
He congratulated HFRI and J&K Forest department for organizing this capacity building workshop.
Chief Secretary highlighted the challenges being faced by the humanity due to changing climate. He expressed concern over species extinction and the rate of biodiversity loss. He spoke on the vulnerability of primary sector like agriculture, horticulture, livestock rearing and the potential of forests for mitigation of Climate Change and its role in maintaining ecological balance, environmental stability and sustainable economic development.
Director Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Dr SS Samant, highlighted the activities being carried out by the Council for implementation of REDD-plus framework at the national and state level. He also highlighted that the council has already developed the State REDD-plus Action Plans for the states of Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The council is organizing capacity building programmes for Forest departments of other states and Union Territories for preparation of the State REDD-plus action plans.
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