“Will have to make collective efforts towards conservation of Himalayas”: Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 9 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took part at an event held at the Mukhya Sevak Sadan in the Chief Minister’s residence to mark ‘Himalaya Day’ and urged the public to make collective efforts to save the Himalayas from the changing climatic conditions.

According to an official release from the Chief Minister’s Office, “At the event, Chief Minister Dhami said that a committee will be formed in coordination with Director General Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST), Durgesh Pant, regarding the issues related to the concerns of the Himalayas.”

The Chief Minister also said that the people of the state will have to make collective efforts towards the conservation of the Himalayas, water and forests to save the natural resources from the changing climatic conditions.

“This year the temperature in Dehradun also increased significantly. If the temperature continues to rise at this pace, it is worrying for the times to come. We have to make collective efforts towards the conservation of the Himalayas, water and forests. We have to think about what we are leaving as a legacy to our future generations,” said CM Dhami.

CM Dhami also released the poster of the state-level fifth Dehradun International Science and Technology Festival to be organised by UCOST.

This festival will be held in engineering colleges located in six districts: Dehradun, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh.

The Chief Minister wished everyone a Happy Himalaya Day and also expressed gratitude to the people working for the conservation and promotion of the Himalayas at the event.

He said that Bugyal Conservation Day will be celebrated every year on September 2 in the state and also highlighted that the changes in climate are taking place rapidly.

The Chief Minister said, “In the last few years we have seen many disasters in the country and the world. This time too, disasters occurred in many places in our state. Last year we also organised the World Congress on Disasters. This event was held on November 29, 2023 and on the same day, the workers trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel were safely evacuated.”

Adding further, CM Dhami said, “When the rescue work at the Silkyara tunnel had been taking place for 17 days, many times it seemed that there would be a breakthrough the same day, but some obstacles kept coming. We received technology from all over the world with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and we were finally successful in getting everyone out safely.”

The Chief Minister said that this event of Himalaya Day should be celebrated every day to save nature.

“We need to understand the importance of the Himalayas in a new way. Continuous work is being done by the state government towards the revival of water sources and rivers. For this, the Spring and River Rejuvenation Authority has been formed. Many other works can also be done for the conservation of the Himalayas,” said CM Dhami.

“The Himalayas are our invaluable heritage, which needs to be saved. Uttarakhand is the first state where the Gross Environment Product (GEP) index has been started.

The development works are being done in the state by maintaining a balance between ecology and economy. The government is continuously working in the fields of plantation, water conservation, and environmental conservation, but public participation is needed in all these, it is only then will we be able to succeed in these efforts,” added the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister further said that in the meeting of NITI Aayog also he has raised the matter of making a separate plan for the Himalayas.

“The population of Uttarakhand is 1.25 crore and arrangements have to be made for about 10 crore people every year. While making plans for Uttarakhand, a request has been made in the meeting of NITI Aayog to make plans keeping in mind the floating population coming to the state. We have talked about sustainable tourism, for which plans are being made,” added CM Dhami.

HESCO founder and Padma Bhushan, Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, said that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has taken many new initiatives for the Himalayas and its conservation.

In the meeting of NITI Aayog, the Chief Minister also raised the problem of the Himalayas. Issues related to the Himalayas will also have to be taken to the political field. Many big institutions of the country are working on the conservation of the Himalayas and studies in this field.

“All these institutions should be brought on one platform, and work should be done on the Himalaya Vikas Patra. The role of the Himalaya is important for the entire country. Development for the conservation of the Himalayas should be in accordance with the research of scientists,” said Prakash Joshi.

Director General UCOST Prof Durgesh Pant said that from September 2 to September 9, many programmes were organised across the state in the form of Himalaya Week, in which many topics related to the conservation and promotion of the Himalayas were discussed by organising programmes in national institutions and many institutions of the state.