Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat called for expanding the Kosi rejuvenation campaign with public involvement while addressing a programme held at the Government Primary School, Supakot in Almora district on Saturday. He further said that the tree plantation in the Kosi catchment area has made a record which has been entered into by Limca Book of Records. “This is something we all can pride ourselves on,” he said. He also reviewed the works of Chal-Khal, Khanti and tanks in Kosi catchment area.
CM said that to maintain environmental cleanliness, special attention must be paid to cleanliness in the Kosi catchment area. He stressed on a vigorous awareness campaign. “There is need to put check dams at the place of origin of Kosi river,” he said and added that at the next Harela festival to be celebrated in July next, a similar special tree plantation programme would be held in Dhar Pani Dhar area. “The students who plant the maximum number of saplings would be felicitated on the occasion,” he said.
Lauding the work for Kosi rejuvenation done by Prof JS Rawat, CM said that the children should be taken to the areas where tree plantations have been done to make them familiar with the importance of trees and encourage them to plant trees themselves. He also stressed on planting Banj, Baid and Jamun trees in Dhar Pani Dhar area.
CM also heaped praise on the work being done by Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Himalayan Environment and Development Institute on water preservation and conservation. “They must be involved in the Kosi rejuvenation campaign,” he said. He also hailed the work of Vivekananda Hill Agriculture Research Institute in rejuvenating ‘Naulas’.
Rawat said that the Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur has praised the efforts being made to conserve the rivers in Uttarakhand and extended his government’s full support in whatever way possible on the matter.
On the occasion, the district magistrate Almora Nitin Singh Bhadauria gave a power- point presentation on Kosi rejuvenation plan. Prof J S Rawat of NRDMS gave details of the Kosi rejuvenation works and said that all the works are being done through GIS tagging and tree plantation in all the recharge zones and other works are being carried out. Hailing the initiative of the CM on the important matter, he said that they would embark on similar campaigns for other rivers also on the lines of Kosi rejuvenation programme.
Among others present on the occasion were the state women and child development minister Rekha Arya and the wife of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Sadhna Thakur.
