Public cooperation imperative for greening Jammu: Div Com

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 22: Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pardeep Gupta on Wednesday sought budgetary support from all line departments like JMC, JDA J&K Housing Board, PWD and ERA to Urban Forestry Division for taking up afforestation works in Jammu Municipal areas and its vicinity so that objective of “Greening Jammu” is achieved.
The Div Com asked the Departments like PDD, PWD, JDA, JMC, BSNL to avoid cutting, lopping or pollarding tree for taking up development activities without consulting urban forestry division so that double the number of trees cut are planted by the urban forestry division in coming monsoon season after recovering cost under CAMPA, to maintain the ecological balance and contain pollution.
Gupta was chairing a meeting of officers of Forest Department, PDD, JMC, JDA, Housing Board, PWD held to review greening Jammu mission. He asked the concerned agencies to sensitize people and involve public in the drive to make Jammu green. He said citizens’ cooperation is imperative for implementation of the project.
The Divisional Commis-sioner stressed the need of coordination between all the line departments with urban forestry division in this regard. He stressed upon the DFO Urban Forestry Division to continue the ongoing drive of plantation and take all the available area in housing colonies and road sides for raising saplings in coming monsoon season.
He asked the Urban Forestry Department to intensify the plantation drives in the existing parks, residential areas and take up institutional plantations. He directed the concerned agencies to ensure there is no dumping of mulba and garbage near the forest parks and plantations.
Other issues deliberated upon in the meeting included identification of areas in Jammu city for taking up avenue plantation for greening and beautification of Jammu city by all stake holders in consultation with Forest Department, taking up of plantation activity by Urban Forestry Division in Jammu urban areas, maintenance and upkeep of existing assets of different departments e.g tree guards, fencing etc, constitution of coordination committee of officers/representative from all line departments to coordinate and deal with all issues pertaining to the subject matter for resolving any issue in future etc.
VC, JDA, Satesh Nehru, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Chief Conservator Forest, Ravi Kumar Kesar besides senior officers of forest department, PHE, PWD, PDD and other line departments were also present in the meeting.