Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 14 : Amrit Malhotra, Chairman Legislative Council, called on N N Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan, here today.
Mr. Malhotra briefed the Governor about certain issues which were carried over from the last session and some of the new issues which would come up before the forthcoming session of the State Legislative Council which is commencing on February 28, 2013.
The Governor and Mr. Malhotra also discussed other issues relating to speeding up the pace of socio-economic advancement of the State.
Sham Lal Sharma, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control also called on Mr Vohra.
During their meeting, the Governor and the Minister discussed issues relating to the measures being taken for augmenting drinking water supply and irrigation facilities in various parts of the State to effectively meet the existing and the speedily emerging requirements in both these sectors. The status of utilization of the available resources under various Central schemes was also reviewed.
Referring to the fast increasing demand for water to cater to the requirements of the Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji Yatra, the Governor stressed the high importance of timely planning and timely executing new water supply schemes to meet the future requirements of fast expanding Katra town and its surrounding areas.
The Governor also stressed the need of all the traditional irrigation systems and channels, particularly the Kuhls, being put in functional order to boost agricultural productivity.
Meanwhile, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vinod Ranjan briefed the Governor about the various afforestation measures being undertaken for the promotion of forests in the State.
The Governor urged Mr. Ranjan to assess the impact of the afforestation work done by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in the Trikuta Hills, in the areas within the Board’s jurisdiction and to advise regarding the species which should be planted along the chain-link boundary fence, to ensure against encroachments and theft of forest wealth.
The PCCF readily agreed to personally review all matters relating to the large scale afforestation undertaken by the Shrine Board and early advise in the matter.
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