ITANAGAR, 19 Oct: The environment & forest department has included the word ‘gun’ to its ‘Arunachal Airgun Surrender Abhiyan’ to encourage people to surrender their licensed guns.
Addressing a gathering at the PCCF office here on Tuesday, advisor to the environment & forest minister, Kumsi Sidisow said that urging people to surrender their licensed guns is a new initiative under the campaign to preserve and protect wildlife.
“It is due to the continuing and untiring efforts made by the state government and the department that today people are volunteering to surrender their licensed guns too. I hope that more people will come forward to surrender their guns in the days to come,” he said.
PCCF RK Singh said that the campaign has earned national recognition and many of the states are now emulating the campaign.
“It is very encouraging to know that people of a tribal state, where hunting is an ancestral tradition, are coming forward to surrender airguns and guns for the conservation of wildlife,” he said.
Urging public figures to join the campaign, Deputy Conservator of Forest (Wildlife & Forest and Biodiversity) Millo Tasser informed that the campaign has gained mass participation and till date over 1,473 airguns along with licensed guns and chainsaws have been surrendered.
Earlier in the day, former minister Hari Natung along with Manaki Natung, wife of Environment & Forest Minister Mama Natung, surrendered a Spanish Mauser rifle and an SBBL gun, respectively.
The former minister appealed to the state’s media to “disseminate the importance of wildlife and creating awareness about it.”
