Tag: Trees

One and half crore trees being planted in J&K last year

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UT leads in achieving 75 Amrit Sarovars in each district
Jammu, Apri 25 (GNS): Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta today expressed confidence that India is more than capable of achieving its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and said that it is high time we shifted away from fossil fuels and made alternate sources our main energy providers. He was speaking at a workshop organised by the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee here at the Convention Centre.
The interactive workshop ‘Climate Change Mitigation and Green Financing for a Climate Resilient and Carbon Neutral J&K’ was attended by Dr.Mohit Gera, PCCF (HoFF), J&K Forest Department and Chairman, J&K Pollution Control Committee; Dr. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Vice Chancellor, Islamic University, Kashmir; HoDs of Forest Department, Dr. Ravindranath, renowned IPCC Author, and resource persons from MoEFCC, TERI, Earnest and Young Climate, World Resources Institute of India besides other eminent guests and environment experts.
Dr. Mehta appreciated the efforts of the Pollution Control Committee and Jammu & Kashmir Forest Department for organizing deliberations on Net Zero Carbon by 2070. He informed that J&K has already made a model by developing a climate resilient and carbon neutral Panchayat of village Palliin District Samba which is first of its kind in the country.
According to Dr Mehta, Jammu & Kashmir has always been at the forefront of adopting flagship developmental schemes of the government. ‘The distinction of implementing the 75 Amrit Sarovars in each district amongst first in the entire country is a good example of how well J&K can adapt to the needs of the times with cooperation from its citizens. Similarly, schemes like “Har Gaon Hariyali”, “One Beat Guard, One village Program”, “Van Se Jal, Jal Se Jeevan” have been very effective in building in resilience and adaptation at village level.
J&K has been a leader in adopting transformative steps in the overhaul of sports, agriculture, and tourism sectors in recent years. The Chief Secretary stated that we are planting more trees every year than ever before and this year over one and half crore trees are going to be planted again all over J&K.
In terms of health infrastructure, Jammu & Kashmir ranks among the leading states of India. The Har Ghar Nal Se Jal scheme will also be fully implemented by the end of this financial year, he continued. The scheme aims to mitigate water supply challenges for the coming 50 years at least, in view of climate change.
The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of communicating climate change adaptation measures to the masses in a way that creates a genuine connection with them. To achieve this goal, the Chief Secretary emphasized the need to communicate with the public at all levels, including panchayats, in ways that creates public ownership.

The CS stressed that what is good for the environment is invariably good for the economy and society and underlined that infrastructure development of the states should not hamper our climate change mitigation steps.
Also, the Chief Secretary urged the environmental experts present to work out environmental plans for Jammu & Kashmir for timely intervention on behalf of the UT administration. The Chief Secretary expressed hope that J&K will continue taking a lead in India’s fight against climate change even in the years ahead.
Dr Mohit Gera, PCCF (HoFF) and Chairman, J&K Pollution Control Committee spoke in detail on purpose of workshop, likely strategies and action plan for building in resilience in Union Territory in view of vulnerability of Jammu and Kashmir. He also highlighted role of Forest sector in mitigation of climate and how forests are supporting Agriculture, Horticulture and Tourism from perspective of climate change and adaptation.
Prof. N.H Ravindranath, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru made introductory remarks on the topic “India’s Policies and Commitments” and Dr. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Vice chancellor, Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, Kashmir highlighted the likely Impacts of Climate Change and Vulnerability of J&K.
Dr. S. Satpathy, Director (Retd.), Climate Change Division, MOEF&CC, Govt. of India made a detailed presentation on “Climate Actions at National and Sub- National level for J&K” while Mr. Amit Kumar, Associate Partner Ernest & Young India LLP made presentation on the topic “Green Financing for mitigation and adaptation”.
Jayakumar Chelton, NGO Thanal, Kerala shared his experience as a success story on the topic “Transition of villages to Net Zero- Meenangadi, Kerala Experience”.
During the workshop, Chief Secretary also released four publications on Local Bio-diversity strategy and Action Plan for Smart Citiesof Jammu and Srinagar ; “Baseline Information Management and Assessment of Wetlands inside Forests (Kashmir Region)” ; and Book on Ecotourism of J&K Forest department.(GNS)
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#crore #trees #planted #year
( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

April 25, 2023
Relentless Felling of Trees in Keller Shopian Forests Cause of Concern for Local Populace

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Investigations Going On to Identify Culprits: DFO Shopian
Umer Rashid
Srinagar, Apr 16 (GNS): Concerned over the alleged relentless felling of trees in local forest area, the population in Keller area in south Kashmir’s Shopian district has sought an immediate intervention from Lieutenant Governor’s office to check the trend and stop the wanton loot of green gold.
A delegation of locals told GNS that the activity of illegal felling of trees has been going on unabatedly in Compartment number 27 and 28, which according to them, is posing a grave threat to the ecology and nature of the area. “The jungle smugglers have been cutting the trees with absolute impunity to nature and disdain for the laws, while the authorities concerned seem to be least bothered about it”, they said.
“If this trend continues, we may god forbid see serious repercussions for no fault of ours at all”, they said.
A senior citizen, identifying himself as Mohammad Yakoob Gutto, while talking to GNS expressed his serious concern about the wanton loot of green gold.
“I alongside few other residents recently checked on to the claims made by few locals and we were witness to the fact that the felling of trees has taken place and many the stumps have been deliberately hidden with mud”, Gutto said adding the things indicate that this activity is going pre-planned and as such needs to be investigated thoroughly.
He emphasized that the forest department should prioritize the protection of old trees instead of just showing off their plantation drives.
Gutoo, alongside several other locals, urged LG office to take strict action against the smugglers and officials, if at all found involved, in deforestation.

When contacted, the District Forest Officer (DFO) concerned told GNS that they are already investigating the matter.
“Our teams are on the ground and once we identify the culprits appropriate action will be taken against them,” he said.
When asked about the reason for such incidents, he explained that some poor and unemployed individuals who have no other source of income sometimes cut down trees for money, which results in harm to the environment and ecosystem.
The DFO further stated that they have taken action against such individuals in the past several months. “So far this year, we have slapped 15 individuals with PSA and whenever and wherever we come to know regarding any such incidents we act immediately”, he said.
While the investigation is ongoing in the particular incident, the locals have expressed hope that the authorities will take swift action to prevent further deforestation in the area.
“Hope the district administration acts as per its mandate to take strict measures to protect the environment and nature in the region”, they said. (GNS)
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#Relentless #Felling #Trees #Keller #Shopian #Forests #Concern #Local #Populace
( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

April 16, 2023
Scores of Apple Trees Chopped Down, Investigation Starts

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SRINAGAR: Unidentified persons chopped scores of apple trees in two different places at Kandipora area of Bijbehara in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, locals said Monday.
The inhabitants of Kandipora, Bijbehara said that during the intervening night of Sunday-Monday (March 26 and 27), miscreants damaged apple orchards belonging to some nine families in Kandipora area of Bijbehara.
They said miscreants chopped down more than a hundred fruit-bearing apple trees by using axes and saws.
The locals said that the apple orchards are their only source of livelihood. “Dozens of families are dependent on these trees and the chopping down of the trees has created tremendous panic among the locals,” they added.
The locals have appealed to the higher ups to find the culprits and compensate for the losses they have suffered.
A police official said that the locals have registered a complaint in this matter and an FIR vide number 72/2023 under relevant sections of law has been registered while further investigation has been taken up. (KNO)

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#Scores #Apple #Trees #Chopped #Investigation #Starts

( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 27, 2023
MP: Firm cuts 257 more trees than needed for Rs 57 cr Indore flyover

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Indore: The Indore Development Authority in Madhya Pradesh has pulled up a private firm for allegedly cutting 257 more trees than what was mandated to build a Rs 57 crore flyover in the state’s commercial capital, also the country’s cleanest city for several years in a row.
While 1,320 trees were to be relocated 15 kilometres away to build the flyover at Khajrana Square and 2,640 saplings were to be planted as compensation, the private firm has gone ahead and cut and reduced to stumps 257 trees apart from the marked ones, IDA chairperson Jaypal Singh Chawda said after inspecting the site on Friday.
“It has come to our notice the private firm has cut down 257 more trees than what was needed. IDA will not pay money to the private firm for translocation of these stumps. We had asked them to follow a scientific way of cutting and relocating 10 trees at a time,” Chawda said.
The removal of trees has made the heat unbearable at Khajrana Square, with several labourers at the site ruing the lack of shade.
“We are unable to find shade in this area, especially now when it is so hot and humid,” Rama Bai, a labourer, said.
MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had laid the foundation stone of the flyover in November last year and work is scheduled to be completed in 18 months, an IDA official informed.
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#Firm #cuts #trees #needed #Indore #flyover
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 10, 2023
HC stays NGT order allowing pruning of trees in south Delhi

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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has stayed an order of the National Green Tribunal permitting pruning of trees in the city’s Vasant Vihar area.
Justice Najmi Waziri issued notices to the city authorities, including the Delhi government and the tree officer concerned, on a petition challenging the NGT order and said that further pruning in the area shall be kept in abeyance.
Senior counsel for the petitioners contended that pruning in the present case was illegal as it could be done only with strict permission of the tree officer and not on general guidelines and that extensive damage has been caused to trees in the area, which has set back the greenery by a decade.
“A more detailed assessment of the activity done by the RWA (resident welfare association) needs to be carried out. Further pruning in the area concerned has to be stopped right away…further pruning in the area shall be kept in abeyance,” said Justice Waziri in a recent order.
The court appointed lawyer Aditya N Prasad as amicus curiae and asked him to assess the situation at site and assist it in the matter.
The court also called for a fresh affidavit by the tree officer and said he can issue further orders in the matter if necessary.
The petitioners, Dr Sanjeev Bagai and others, said that under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, the essential part of the preservation is that a tree should not be damaged in a manner which would impede its growth or otherwise severely affect its re-growth and regeneration.
It was stated that any woody plant which has a height of 30 cm and a trunk diameter of not less than 5 cm is considered a “tree” and is to be protected under the Act.

In the present case, it was argued, quite a few trees have been lopped off and approximately 800 trees have been pruned in violation of the law.
The matter would be heard next on March 10.
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#stays #NGT #order #allowing #pruning #trees #south #Delhi
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 5, 2023
49 Million Fruit and Lemon Trees Will Be Planted In Saudi Arabia’s First Phase – Kashmir News

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The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) has started implementing the first phase of two initiatives to plant 49 million fruit and lemon trees in various regions of the Kingdom as part of the ambitious Saudi Green Initiative.
These include 45 million fruit trees in agricultural terraces, and four million lemon trees with renewable water by the year 2030.
The initiatives, with the slogan of “From Ambition to Action”, will be implemented in cooperation with the Agricultural Development Fund and the private sector establishments.
These initiatives are expected to provide more than half of the Kingdom’s imports of fruits, amounting to around SR4.5 billion, so as to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
This was revealed during a workshop organized by the Ministry on Tuesday at its headquarters in Riyadh.
(Agencies)
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#Million #Fruit #Lemon #Trees #Planted #Saudi #Arabias #Phase #Kashmir #News
( With inputs from : kashmirnews.in )

January 26, 2023
Joshua Tree’s ‘Invisible House’ could be yours for $18m

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Joshua Tree’s real estate boom may have reached a symbolic peak, as the desert town’s iconic, mirror-walled mansion goes on the market for $18m in what is said to be a record-setting asking price.
The Invisible House, constructed in 2019 by film producers Chris and Roberta Hanley, has hosted celebrities like Lizzo, Alicia Keys, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd, and been featured in the Netflix series The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.
The house is a surreal, box-like structure, with glinting glass walls that reflect the desert landscape, and a massive, 100ft indoor pool that stretches nearly half the length of the house. Its owners have touted the meditative aspects of the property.
“I think Demi Lovato saw aliens there,” Roberta Hanley told the Wall Street Journal.
The house had previously been available to rent for $150,000 a month, $6,000 per day, or $1,000 per hour, Mansion Global reported last summer. A rental website touted the house’s “dramatic desert contrasts” and the “oversized” pool that “flaunts its abundance in a seemingly barren land”.
The home features a 100ft indoor pool that stretches nearly half the length of the house. Photograph: Brian Ashby/Courtesy of Aaron Kirman and Matt Adamo of AKG | Christie’s International Real Estate
The residence, which offers a modest three bedrooms and four bathrooms, has a “fully-mirrored exterior which ‘disappears’ into the surrounding desert”, as well as high-end kitchen appliances and charging stations for three Teslas.
“To our knowledge, it is the most expensive listing in Joshua Tree now,” said Matt Adam, one of the property’s listing agents.
Even if the Invisible House ends up selling for $9m, half the current asking price, “it will be the most expensive home ever sold in Joshua Tree”, local newspaper San Bernardino Sun reported.

Just a few years ago, Joshua Tree, a tiny town in California set next to a stunning national park, was a refuge for artists and oddballs, a place where locals said it was possible to rent an apartment for $500 a month.
But during the pandemic, the town’s two-hour proximity to Los Angeles, and the social media-fueled popularity of Joshua Tree national park, led to one of the largest increases in housing prices in the state. The result has been a worsening local housing crisis, with many longtime residents and local service industry employees saying that skyrocketing rental costs have forced them out of their homes.
In recent months, the booming desert housing market has started to slow. Average Joshua Tree housing sale prices were down 25% in December 2022, compared with the year before, and the number of houses sold was down by more than 50%, according to Redfin, a real estate company that publishes housing data.
The Invisible House, of course, is not even close to an average Joshua Tree home, the median price of which was $343,000 last month, according to Redfin.
Real estate agents at AKG Christie’s International Real Estate have been “bombarded with calls” from journalists and others since the house was put on the market, Adamo said.
Much of the interest so far has come from potential buyers interested in the house as an investment property, Adamo said. The house has previously brought in as much as $1.4m in income in a single year in rental and production fees, he said.
So far, there has been more interest from potential American buyers than from international customers, Adamo said, since Americans have a better understanding of the cultural appeal of Joshua Tree’s remote desert landscape, while international buyers are more interested in properties closer to the bright lights of Los Angeles, a two to three hour drive from Joshua Tree.
Bedroom A of the house. Photograph: Brian Ashby/Courtesy of Aaron Kirman and Matt Adamo of AKG | Christie’s International Real Estate
Chris Hanley, known for producing films like the Virgin Suicides, American Psycho, and Spring Breakers, has described the “Invisible House” as part art project, part residence, which was inspired in part by a monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey and by his old friend, Andy Warhol.
Just buying the glass for the house’s construction cost nearly $700,000, he told the Wall Street Journal. Hanley did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the property.
“It’s so close with nature and so integrated with the rock formations and everything in the desert. That’s probably the most exciting and appealing aspect,” Adamo said.
One of Adamo’s favorite aspects of the house is that “the sun literally goes from sunrise to sunset in the [master] bedroom. You could stay there all day and see the house light up in different ways from the angle of the sun and the stars”.
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#Joshua #Trees #Invisible #House #18m
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

January 20, 2023