Nilnag (Budgam), Mar 24 : With an aim to create awareness about forests and forest biodiversity and to commemorate World Forest Day, the Pir Panjal Forest Division Budgam on Tuesday organised a plantation drive and a ‘Tree Talk’ at the Nilnag Forest block of the Doodh Ganga Forest Range.
Students from Government High School Gogjipathri, officials of the Forest Department, and members of the Jammu and Kashmir Climate Action Group (JKCAG) and the JK RTI Movement participated in the event.
Addressing the gathering, Chairman of JKCAG and Founder of the JK RTI Movement, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, stressed the need for a massive plantation drive across the Kashmir valley in view of the drought-like situation witnessed in the past few years. He said the air quality in Kashmir was also being impacted and that the problem could be addressed through large-scale plantation programmes.
He appreciated the role of Doodh Ganga Forest Range Officer Zahoor Ahmad Khan and Forest Block Officer Mohammad Aslam Wani for their active role in creating mass awareness about forests and forest biodiversity among students.
Range Officer, Doodh Ganga Forest Range, Zahoor Ahmad Khan, urged students to constantly participate in the afforestation programmes of the Forest Department so that they could become green ambassadors in the future. He thanked the staff of Government High School Gogjipathri for their support in organising the event.
Block Forest Officer Mohammad Aslam Wani, Deputy Forester Riyaz Ahmad, and members of the JK Climate Action Group and RTI Movement—Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, Shabir Musroof, Mohammad Younus, and Arsalan Ibrahim—also spoke on the occasion. (KNS)
