Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology Choudhary Lal Singh today said that the department will undertake massive plantation drive along the National Highways and focus on tree lining for improving the green cover.Interacting with the officers of Wild Life Protection Force, Social Forestry and Forest Protection Force, here the Minister impressed upon the functionaries of Social Forestry Department to organize massive awareness programmes on need and importance of plantation and personally monitor the plantation drive underway in current monsoon across Jammu region. He directed the forest department to develop saplings of ornamental trees viz.,Terminalia arjuna , Carrissa opaca, bougainvillea and fruit trees like Zyzyphus in their nurseries.
The Minister stressed that the department should chalk out a comprehensive strategy to meet the growing requirement of fodder, fuel and timber. He asked the officers of different wings of the department to work in coordination so that benefits of different schemes of the Government reach the targeted populace. He exhorted upon the department to further intensify its efforts of increasing green cover and meeting the requirements of people especially in rural areas. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests A K Singh, Chairman Pollution Control Board Ravi Kesar, Director Social Forestry Suresh Chugh, Chief Conservator Forests Forest Protection Force Suresh Gupta, Managing Director State Forest Corporation Arun Tikoo, Chief Conservator of Forests A K Gupta besides Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) of Wild Life Protection, Social Forestry and Forest Protection Force of Jammu region were present on the occasion.