Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 9 Apr: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday drew the Centre’s attention towards the reserved forest areas in Arunachal Pradesh which were notified without conducting public hearings.
The chief minister was appealing to union Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav at the inaugural function of the 20th meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on the west bank of the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Seijosa in Pakke-Kessang district.
Khandu pointed out that some of the reserved forest areas in Arunachal were notified without taking the tribal population into confidence and without conducting proper public hearing.
“The tribal population have been settling since time immemorial in the forest. However, some reserved forest areas were notified without public confidence and hearing. Whenever the state government wishes to bring developmental projects, we are having hurdles from the forest department,” the CM said.
He informed that the forest department has been instructed to prepare a list of all such reserved forest areas, so that the state government can verify it and, after scrutinising the list, forward it to the ministry for consideration to de-reserve those areas.
Khandu further called for finding a mechanism to ensure sustainable living and development while protecting the state’s rich biodiversity, adding that his government is focusing on promotion of ecotourism.
“Our forest diversities should be our strength rather than weakness. While protecting forests, how can we deliver sustainable living to people? My government is focusing and putting efforts on promotion of ecotourism,” he said.
Khandu said that, though the tribal population has been evolving with forests and environment for ages, “with the advent of modernity and growth of development, the negative impact can be seen on the environment.”
Yadav, who chaired the meeting, in his address informed that the decision to hold the 20th NTCA meeting at the PTR was aimed at “promoting tiger reserves in India to make them as the world tourism potential.”
He said that, according to his ministry, the tribal people in India are entirely dependent on forests for their living, and that it is as important to protect their culture as it is to protect the forests.
“We cannot protect forests without involving tribal people,” the minister said.
Yadav lauded Khandu’s government for launching the Airgun Surrender Abhiyan to protect the state’s fauna, and the state government’s Pakke Declaration to take resilient actions to achieve climatic goals.
MoS for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey in his address called for focusing on preservation and protection of the PTR and the Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary. He described the Airgun Surrender Abhiyan as “a role model campaign in wildlife protection.”
State Environment & Forest Minister Mama Natung said that hosting the NTCA meeting was a privilege for the state.
Earlier, NTCA Director General CP Goyal informed that this was the first NTCA meeting to be held outside Delhi. He said that “tiger translocation standing operating procedures and management and evaluation of tiger reserves are two of the major issues that the NTCA meeting would be deliberating upon.”
MLAs Kumsi Sidisow and Biyuram Wahge, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, PCCF RK Singh, and other officials from the NTCA also attended the function.
On the sideline of the NTCA meeting, 80 airguns were surrendered on Saturday.
