Avalanches result of rise in temperature: Parrikar

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 30

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said the temperatures have risen in Siachen by 10°C above normal, resulting is speedy melting of snow and widening of crevices at the world’s highest battlefield. This was also the basic reason of the avalanche in February that resulted in death of a number of Indian jawans.

Parrikar, while addressing the convocation of 2014-15 batch of Indian Forest Service (IFS) probationers, today said the recent Siachen avalanche was a climate change induced disaster.

He said climate change was a big challenge and climate fluctuations had become common. He referred to his home state Goa and said “Sometimes there is rain in December and in February, and at times even in April and May. Fluctuation in climate is happening. This was not the case when we were in school and the rainy season used to start around June 5 every year,” Parrikar said.

He also called upon the passing-out IFS probationers to understand the challenges being faced by local communities vis-a-vis the forestry sector. Clashes between local villagers and foresters had become common due to increasing hostility between people and forests. He exhorted the young officers to always remember that as a natural resource manager, it was their duty to understand how poor people lived and organise their lives.

Union Environment, Forests and Climate Change secretary Ashok Lavasa called upon the pass-outs to become guardians of forests.

Director General (Forests) Dr SS Negi said it was a momentous occasion for the batch as it was passing out when the IFS services had entered 50th year of existence. Indian Gandhi National Forest Academy’s Director Vinod Kumar read out the annual report. He apprised that as many as 53 officers had secured more than 75 per cent marks, thereby qualifying for the honours diploma.

Earlier, Parrikar handed over diplomas to 57 IFS probationers and two foreign trainees from Bhutan. He also gave away various awards to outstanding probationers. The all-round outstanding performance award was presented to Ankur Awadhiya, who has been allotted Madhya Pradesh cadre. Kalpana K bagged the Hill Memorial Prize and Sadik Sallauddin Mujawar bagged the award for being the topper in the core forestry subjects.

Doon cadet bags 10 medals

Ankur Awadhiya’s love for forestry drove him to opt for Indian Forest Services (IFS), in which he excelled from the day he appeared in UPSC examinations till today, when he passed out from Indian Gandhi Forest National Academy.

A pass out from the IIT-Kanpur, Ankur not only cleared the UPSC IFS exam in the first attempt but also today, while passing out, he bagged as many as 10 medals, including the prestigious All-Round Outstanding Performance Medal.

Ankur said though he was from the medical background, his parents did not prevent him from going in for research and that was the reason that after his B Tech, he did a Phd in bio sciences.

Belonging to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, Ankur was allotted the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He also bagged the Topper in Core Forestry Subjects Award, P Srinivas Memorial Prize, Sanjay Singh Memorial Prize, DC Agarwal Prize, RN Mathur Memorial Prize, KP Sagreya Shreshta Vanik Puraskar, DH Kulkarni Gold Medal for working plan exercise, Dr BN Ganguli Award of Academic Excellence and Senior Forestry Prize for best field forester award.