Part of national park to be eco-sensitive zone
The Uttarakhand cabinet last week cleared a project to turn part of the Rajaji National Park into an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). Spread across 819 square kilometres, the park is deemed a protective area. It is learnt that as much as 296 kilometres of the conserved area would be turned into an ESZ. Twenty of the 825 villages around the national park would also come under the eco-sensitive zone. Last month, the state cabinet also approved a proposal to turn 377 sqkm area of the Corbett National Park into an ESZ. However, no village was made part of the proposed ESZ.
Roorkee hosts meet on water management
The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee and the National Institute of Hydrology, which is also based in Roorkee, recently came together to organise a three-day conclave on water management. The event, themed on ‘Hydrological Aspects of Climate Change’, saw more than 400 participants from across the country and overseas. Among the attendees at the event were RR Mishra, director general, National Mission for Clean Ganga and a host of climate experts including AP Dimri, PP Majumdar, Artemi Cerda, Malini Shankar, Piet Lens, and Yutaka Matsuno. Topics such as management of floods and drought, modelling and assessment of water resources under changing climate, policy framework and climate change adaption strategy were discussed at the conclave.
E-challaning rolled out in Dehradun
An e-challaning system was launched recently at Police Lines in Dehradun, the administrative capital of the state. The system will soon be replicated elsewhere in the state, it was learnt. As many as e-challaning devices were provided to the Dehradun traffic police to put this system into practice. Last week, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat oversaw the signing of an MoU between the traffic directorate and the State Bank of India for the rollout of the service. Rawat also flagged off interceptors.
Govt spent `6cr to fight monkey menace
The Uttrakhand forest department has shelled out as much as R6.02 crore to rid the state of monkey menace. According to date released by the state forest department, 10,620 monkeys were sterilised at Chidiyapur in the period from 2016-17 to 2019-20, 4,602 were sterilised at Ranibagh between 2017-18 and 2019-20 and 269 were sterilised at Almora between 2017-18 and 2019-20. The state has three rescue centres where sterilisation and other medical procedures for animals are performed. A total 15,591 simians were sterilised between 2016-17 and 2019-20, the data reveals.
Vineet Upadhyay
Our correspondent in Dehradun vineet.upadhyay@newindianexpress.com