Third steering committee meeting of fund management held

Chief Secretary of Ladakh, Pawan Kotwal, chaired the third meeting of the Steering Committee of the Ladakh Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) at the Civil Secretariat, Leh.

The Chief Conservator of Forests and CEO of Ladakh CAMPA, Sajjad Hussain Mufti, presented a detailed overview of the major achievements of the Forest and Wildlife Divisions of UT Ladakh for the fiscal year 2024–25 under CAMPA. The presentation included highlights from the previous fiscal year and outlined the action plan for the 2025–26 financial year.

Key topics discussed during the meeting included natural and artificial regeneration, silvicultural operations, forest and plantation protection, pest and disease control, forest fire prevention and control, soil and moisture conservation, wildlife habitat improvement, establishment and maintenance of animal rescue centres, biodiversity conservation, mitigation of human-wildlife conflict, and other related initiatives.

The Chief Secretary instructed the concerned department to involve local residents in operating the newly procured ambulances. He also emphasized the need for developing nurseries and enhancing sapling production for plantation activities. Additionally, he instructed the department to ensure geo-tagging of solar water heaters distributed to locals under CAMPA.

Dr. Kotwal further directed the installation of proper signage and informative boards in wildlife areas, along with the display of photographs of the animals spotted in those regions. He also instructed the proper operation of forest rest houses and instructed to hire locals for watch & ward of such rest houses, and the provision of high-quality uniforms for wildlife & forest guards.

The Chief Secretary also proposed the construction of crate bunds along the right bank of the Indus River for its stabilization. He further emphasized the need for a thorough and detailed study of ungulates, along with proper analysis of the data collected.

The meeting was attended by the Commissioner Secretary, Planning; Administrative Secretary, Agriculture & Horticulture; Chief Conservator of Forests/CEO CAMPA; Wildlife Wardens of Leh and Kargil; Divisional Forest Officers of Leh and Kargil. The Principal Secretary of Forest, Ecology and Environment, the Administrative Secretary of Social Welfare, representatives of IRO, Jammu & Chandigarh and other members joined the meeting virtually.