JAMMU: The Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the initiatives for the conservation of diverse water bodies in Jammu Kashmir.
Administrative Secretaries of the departments of Revenue, Housing & Urban Development, Forest, Ecology & Environment, besides Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Chairman, J&K Water Resources Regulatory Authority, Chairman, Pollution Control Board, Director, Department of Ecology, Environment & Remote Sensing among others participated in the meeting.
It was informed that approximately 3800 water bodies including ponds and lakes have been identified across the Union Territory for conservation and efforts are afoot for their preservation, protection, and rejuvenation.
The Chief Secretary impressed upon the Forest Department to intensify the conservation efforts toward geo-tagging of water bodies, restoration of the ecological balance of marine ecosystems, testing the water quality in such areas, grading the water bodies on monitoring parameters for effective follow-ups, and putting in place a district-level grievance redressal mechanism.
Later, in a separate meeting, the Chief Secretary also reviewed the status of District Environment Plans prepared under the guidance of the National Green Tribunal.
The Chief Secretary directed the District Environment Plan Committees to review respective plans and convey modifications, if any by March 2021, to be incorporated in the UT Plan before further submission to the Central Pollution Control Board. They were also asked to upload a copy of their respective plans on the official web portals for information of the wider public.
