PrashantNews
With natural disasters striking Uttarakhand repeatedly, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said plans are being made for sustainable tourism in the hill state.
Speaking at a function of Himalaya Day, the Chief Minister said a committee headed by Director General UCOST Durgesh Pant will also be formed on the environmental concerns of the Himalayas.
On this occasion, he released the poster of the state level fifth Dehradun, International Science and Technology Festival to be organized by UCOST.
During the function, the Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to the people who are working for the conservation and promotion of environment in the Himalayas.
In addition to the Himalayan Day on Sept 9, the Chief Minister said a meadow conservation day will also be organized every year on September 2.
Stating that climate change is a big concern, he said this year the temperature in Dehradun increased significantly. “If the temperature continues to rise at this pace, it is worrying for the times to come. We have to make collective efforts towards the conservation of the Himalayas, water and forests. We have to think about what we are leaving as a legacy to our future generations,” he said.
The Chief Minister said in the last few years we have seen many disasters in the country and the world. This time too, disasters occurred in many places in our state. The Chief Minister said “we have talked about sustainable tourism, for which plans are being made”.
The Chief Minister said “we need to understand the importance of the Himalayas in a new perspective.” Continuous work is being done by the government towards the revival of water sources and rivers, he said. For this, the spring and river rejuvenation authority has been formed in the state, he said.
He said the Himalayas are invaluable heritage, which needs to be saved. Uttarakhand is the first state where GEP has been started. The Chief Minister said that development work is being done in the state by maintaining a balance between ecology and economy. Stating that the government is continuously working in the field of plantation, water conservation and environmental conservation, Dhami emphasized the need for more public participation in this regard.
The Chief Minister said in the last meeting of NITI Aayog, he has raised the matter of making a separate plan for the Himalayas. The population of Uttarakhand is 1.25 crore and arrangements have to be made for about 10 crore tourists and pilgrims every year. While making plans for Uttarakhand, a request has been made in the meeting of NITI Aayog to make plans keeping in mind the floating population coming to the state.
HESCO founder and Padma Bhushan Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi said that the Chief Minister Dhami has taken many new initiatives for the Himalayas and its conservation with full seriousness. In the meeting of NITI Aayog, the Chief Minister also raised the problem of the entire Himalayas seriously. Issues related to the Himalayas will also have to be taken to the political field, Dr Joshi said. Many big institutions of the country are working on the conservation of the Himalayas and studies in this field. All these institutions should be brought on one platform. Development for the conservation of the Himalayas should be in accordance with the research of scientists, he said.
Kishore Upadhyay, BJP MLA from Tehri, said it is necessary to create a model of development for the Himalayas. The speed at which the glaciers are melting today is a matter of concern. It is necessary to run a campaign on a wider platform for the conservation of the Himalayas.
Director General UCOST Prof. Pant said that from 02 September to 09 September, many programs were organized in the state as Himalaya Week, in which many topics related to the conservation and promotion of Himalayas were discussed by organizing programs in national and state institutions.
On this occasion, MLAs Savita Kapoor, Umesh Sharma Kau, Padma Shri Kalyan Singh Rawat, Chief Forest Conservator Dr. Dhananjay Mohan, Director of ISRO Dehradun R.P. Singh, Director of IIP Harendra Bisht and representatives of various institutions were present.