Dehradun: During the 21st meeting of the Wildlife Board in the Secretariat on Thursday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed the Forest Department officials to make special efforts to link forest resources with the livelihood of the people along with the conservation of forests. The Chief Minister said that while maintaining a balance between ecology and economy, eco-tourism activities should be promoted around forest areas by making a detailed plan for the next 10 years. Along with reducing the incidents of human-wildlife conflict, a digital tracking system should be implemented for quick compensation distribution in such incidents. The Chief Minister directed in the meeting that the construction work of Zoo and Safari in Haldwani should be expedited. He said that efforts should be made to increase revenue by maintaining the forest rest houses keeping in mind the facilities of the tourists. The Chief Minister also directed to expedite the works related to the renovation of Chaurasi Kutia. Emphasizing on innovation, he said that Uttarakhand is a state with abundance of forests, so efforts should be made to connect forest resources with the economy, for this the Forest Department and Finance Department should hold a meeting. Special efforts should be made for the conservation of Mahseer.
In the meeting held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, a total of 25 decisions were approved on forest land transfer and other matters falling under protected areas and 10 km radius of protected areas. Which will be sent to the National Wildlife Board. In the meeting, in-principle consent was also given for operating the Rudranath Yatra route through EDC and for the establishment of a mini transit treatment center under the area of Kedarnath Wildlife Division, Gopeshwar.
It was informed in the meeting that from the 20th board meeting till now, the National Wildlife Board has given consent to 22 important projects of Uttarakhand. It was informed in the meeting that more than 75 thousand monkeys have been sterilized in the last 03 years. This year a target has been set to sterilize 40 thousand monkeys in 27 forest divisions. Forest department officials said that in order of the instructions given by the Chief Minister in the last meeting, after the incident of human-wildlife conflict, the Divisional Forest Officer reaches the spot and the victim’s family is being provided the permissible amount immediately. A total compensation of Rs 19.55 crore was provided in the financial year 2024-25. It was told in the meeting that four new eco tourism zones have been started in the state under the year 2024. Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said that Uttarakhand is an important state in terms of biodiversity. There is a need to work continuously towards the right use of forest resources and linking it to the livelihood of the people. He said that we have to work towards developing new destinations. MLA Banshidhar Bhagat, Diwan Singh Bisht, Principal Secretary Forest R. K Sudhanshu, Director General of Police Deepam Seth, Chief Conservator of Forests Dr. Dhananjay Mohan, Chief Conservator of Forests Wildlife R.K. Mishra, Secretary B.V.R.C. Purushottam, Neeraj Khairwal and officials of the concerned departments were present.
