One day event was held at Aketa Hotel, Dehradun Uttarakhand and witnessed huge congregation of Top forest officials, Bureaucrats, Experts and Environmentalists, key players in energy sector, experts in wildlife conservation, officials from relevant govt. Departments, representatives from local NGOs and community. With more than 500 participants from different parts of country, local community and school children, the event made a lasting impression in the minds of participants by encouraging behavior change within this select group of event attendees, Reports Amit Bhanot in Governance Democracy & Politics (GDP), March Issue.
Famous Bollywood Screen Writer and Guest of Honour of Valedictory Session Dilip Shukla, lauds the effort of HUM foundation and shared his experienced of environment conservation. He made an announcement that in the near future he will make a film on Uttarakhand, which will be a love story and would be shot in the picturesque locations of Uttarakhand. Cast of the film will also be from Uttarakhand. He said that films are the most potent and feasible mean to highlight the culture and heritage of any state and ecology of Uttarakhand can very well be highlighted by films.
Speaking on the occasion Guest of Honour and Principal Chief Conservator Forest (HOFF) Jai Raj has put focus on increasing violent tendency of Wild animals due to encroachment of man into their territory. He urged cooperation of society, especially villages that are in the Reserve landscape to establish a co-operation with the wild animals as it is their first right on the forest resources that humans.
He added that there is sharp increase in cases of wild animals entering human habitat. To control this forest authorities are taking concrete steps so that this phenomenon would be rescued. He informed that already 6 Quick Response teams have been formed that will do 24×7 patrolling to protect wild animals in the state, especially in those areas where human- wildlife conflict incidence are occurring frequently. The teams will be well-equipped with tranquillizer guns and other safety devices. Beside this these area will be mapped.
Famous Jagar Singer and Padamshree Basanti Bishtji shared her recent foreign visit experience. She said Foreigners are very much concerned towards their environment, but in our country it is quite contradictory. People living on hills are always giving outmost importance to environment in their culture. Sharing her childhood memories, she said they were even prohibited to shout near Bugyal (Meadows) water resources. The motive behind this is may be to keep these places noise free and not to disturb ecology. She lauds HUM Foundation effort to organize this program in Dehradun to aware masses about environment and suggested that these type of programs should be organized in villages too.
Shri. Ashok Kumar, IPS, ADG (Law and Order) Uttarakhand also took part in inaugural Session and gave valuable advice of Wildlife protection. He said that forest department should be vigilant about the encroachment made by property sharks in the forest as they gulp forest land in no time. Also he calls for public participation in protecting wildlife in the state.
