SRINAGAR: The Legislative Committee on Environment of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today expressed serious concern over the environmental degradation and called for coordinated efforts to address the escalating crisis.
The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the Committee, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and attended by MLAs Peerzada Mohammad Syed, Yudhvir Sethi, Choudhary Zafar Ali Khatana, Peerzada Feroze Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmad Guroo, Irshad Rasool Kar and members of the Committee.
Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), led by its Chairman Khurshid Ahmad Ganie, also attended the meeting and put forth their views and suggestions.
While speaking on the occasion, Tarigami said that there is a need to identify issues where we can intervene together to improve the environmental health of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Environment plays a vital role in people’s physical, mental and social well-being. We have to move ahead in the direction of protecting our environment to do justice with the job entrusted by the House,” he said. He added that the protection of our ecology is a question of our present and future generations, and we have to work collectively in this direction.
“Environmental health is our survival, and denial of this fact will prove to be disastrous if immediate measures are not taken to ensure its preservation. It is high time that each one of us in JK realises that the environment is our collective responsibility and everyone has a role to play in preserving and protecting it in every possible way with a sensible approach,” he added.
“Whatever the limitations in the present circumstances but there should be no excuses in asserting ourselves towards the protection of our natural resources,” he continued.
The members also condemned the reckless felling of trees from time to time and warned that the elements of nature are all interrelated and have an impact on our very possibility to exist on this planet.
During the meeting, Khurshid Ahmad Ganie and its other members emphasized that the government should think seriously about a climate action plan in order to address the environmental issues confronting us. They also highlighted the increase in vehicular pollution due to the increasing number of households possessing vehicles and stressed the need for strengthening public transport.
It was also highlighted during the meeting that Environmental Impact Assessment should be done on all projects in JK before their implementation.
They also raised concerns over the fast conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural purposes and said that once it is lost, it becomes irretrievable. They also raised the encroachments and debris dumping in water bodies as another pressing issue that needs immediate attention.
“People should be sensitised about the health of the environment for the survival of human beings. Community-driven efforts are much needed to stem the degradation of our natural resources,” they observed.
