New tree plantation under threat from cattle, say environmentalists
The new tree plantation was under threat from cattle in the state, environmentalists have said.
Col Jasjit Gill (retd), who leads a group working for the protection of the environment, has highlighted the problem and has suggested solution in a representation to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
“As the state is short on the green cover, government departments, civil society and NGOs have come together to plant lakhs of trees this season,” they mentioned.
Colonel Gill, who is a former member of the state task force on the Buddha Dariya Rejuvenation project, said since the survival of young saplings was important for increasing the green cover, most of these fall prey to the cattle grazing in plantation areas in the absence of fences or tree guards.
“The efforts of the government to increase the green cover have been under constant threat from the grazing cattle herds across the state,” the environmentalists said while detailing that the large herds majorly do three types of damage to the saplings and young plants — they eat the saplings directly, eat saplings being part of grass-covered pits all around and thirdly, trample over the saplings and destroy them.
They stated that these uncontrolled large cattle herds also cause colossal soil erosion of the canal network’s earthen banks by entering the canal daily in large numbers.
Suggesting the solution, Colonel Gill said the cattle herds should be banned from government areas by issuing a notification, which should also carry a suitable framework for persons not obeying the government orders with a provision of fine as well as imprisonment for repeat offenders under the Environment Protection Act or relevant provisions of the Indian Forests Act or other laws as applicable to such offences.
“As cattle belonging to dairies are confined to their premises, cattle herds of Gujjars too should be confined to their places rather than allowing them to litter all highways and roads with the animal dung,” the environmentalists demanded.
