Tampering with nature resulting in disasters: Governor

Tribune News Service

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Shimla, August 6

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla today warned that incidents of natural disasters, on the rise in the state over the last two years, were a result of tampering with nature.

Shukla was speaking at a plantation campaign organise by the Himachal Pradesh State Red Cross Society and the Forest Department at Glen near Annandale, here today.

Planting a sapling of deodar, he gave a clear message for urgent steps needed for forest conservation. Under the campaign, 250 saplings were planted and Junior Red Cross volunteers of Government Senior Secondary School,

Annandale also participated in the campaign.

“We all need to be aware of environment conservation and through such plantation drives, we can conserve our environment by increasing the green cover,” he said.

He stressed that though everyone must plant saplings, they must also protect them. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started the campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ with an aim of planting 80 crore trees by September 2024 and 1.4 billion trees by March 2025. This requires collective efforts of the government and the society,” said Shukla.

“I would like every person to be a part of this campaign and plant at least one sapling. Such schemes inspire the society,” he said. The state government

has also allocated a budget of Rs 150 crore to the Forest department for tree plantation under the environment conservation scheme.

The purpose of this allocation was to expand the green cover in the state and encourage environmental conservation, he added.

This year the Forest Department has set a target of planting trees on 9,000 hectares of land in the state, he added. Secretary to the Governor Rajesh Sharma, officials of the district administration and Forest Department, and volunteers of the State Red Cross were present on the occasion.