Jammu, Nov 08: The Centre, under a special package, approved Rs 100 crore project for eco-restoration of degraded catchments of Jhelum and Chenab basins which would help protect the degraded areas of these basins.
The department of forest and environment would utilise Rs 19 crore out of the approved five-year project during the current year for the purpose, an official release quoting the State Forests and Environment Minister, Mohi-ud-Din Sofi, said.
He said the forest department under its afforestation drive has so far planted 28.18 lakh saplings in an afforested so far an area of 4,444 hectare degraded forestland during the last one year. He said the Centre has released an amount of rs 12 crore to cover another 5985 hectare of degraded forests under National Afforestation Programme. Sofi said under external assistance programme launched for the first time in the state, the department has launched Indo-Norwegian project at verinag in Kashmir and Mahamaya in Jammu to cover seven lakh hectares of degraded forestland at a cost of Rs 2.40 crore.

Referring to the activities initiated to curb the menace of smuggling, the minister said the government has empowered the forest officers to directly take action against the smugglers and also evicts forest areas from the encroachers.

Bureau Report