Dehradun: With an aim to conserve Himalayan
glaciers which are receding at a fast rate, the Uttarakhand
government today decided to set up a Snow and Glaciers
Authority, a first of its kind in the world.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by
Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank.
Later, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar told reporters that
the authority would be set up under the Science and Technology
department.
"Science and Technology Minister and the Chief Secretary
will be the ex-officio chairman and vice-chairman of the
authority, which will have 21 members from various fields
including four from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs),"
Kumar said.
He said the representatives of central government would
also be members of the authority.
"The modalities of the authority are being worked out. It
will study the impact of climate change on 10 big and nearly
1400 small glaciers in the hill state," a senior official
said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, October 05, 2010, 20:49