Report on afforestation submitted to Chief Justice

SHIMLA: With a view to sensitising and making students aware of the forest and environmental issues by involving them in plantation and afforestation, the HP State Legal Services Authority (HPSLSA) has taken up the project in this regard as the state project of the year 2014-15.

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, May 7

With a view to sensitising and making students aware of the forest and environmental issues by involving them in plantation and afforestation, the HP State Legal Services Authority (HPSLSA) has taken up the project in this regard as the state project of the year 2014-15.

Students of all schools above primary-level have been associated in afforestation drive.

A group of lawyers today presented a report on the afforestation drive carried out by schoolchildren under the aegis of the HP State Legal Services Authority with the cooperation of the Education Department and the Forest Department to Chief Justice of HP High Court Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir.

The HPSLSA has constituted a team of advocates to inspect the plantation sites and to submit a report on the survival rate of plants and maintenance of sites. The team of around 200 advocates visited various sites in several groups in January-February this year, prepared the reports. They submitted the report to the Chief Justice today and gave suggestions to make the project more fruitful. The Chief Justice Mansoor cited a Kashmiri saying that the food will sustain when the woods sustain.

Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Sanjay Karol praised the members of the HP High Court Bar Association, who visited 42 sub-divisions to inspect the plantation sites.

In his speech, Executive Chairman of the HPSLSA Justice Sanjay Karol said students of 4,580 schools planted 5,92,478 saplings in various sites selected by the Forest Department.

Additional Chief Secretary (Education) PC Dhiman said he would ensure better participation in the project by improving teacher involvement, giving incentives to students in terms of marks and better planning keeping in view the expansion activities in Schools.

Judges of HP High Court Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice Rajiv Sharma, Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary, Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, Justice PS Rana and Justice Sureshwar Thakur were also present on the occasion.