The full dress rehearsal of the Indian Air Force (IAF) took place on Friday ahead of the air show to be held here on October 8. This rehearsal was organised at Central Air Command (CAC) headquarters, Bamrauli. The para jumper jumped down from a height of 8,000 feet at a speed of 150 kilometres. The soldiers separated the entire moving part of the gypsy and then tied it in the same way. It took only five minutes for the brave men to do all this. After a while, Surya Kiran’s team created the shape of Tejas in the sky through smoke, while Sarang helicopters created a heart and an arrow piercing it. The 91st Foundation Day of the IAF will be celebrated here on October 8. In the air show to be held on this day, 120 aircraft and helicopters like Tejas will be seen performing stunts. Before it Air Force fighter planes are rehearsing. CO of Sarang team SK Mishra said the team will perform aerial stunts over the Sangam for 12 minutes. The team includes 18 people including women personnel Squadron Leader Kshipra. Alok Kumar from Surya Kiran team said nine planes will fly past simultaneously in the air. Tejas will perform tricks in the air by making various shapes like dolphin leap, diamond ring through smoke from MiG-29.

To make this air show historic, the entire team of Air Force officers from across the country has camped here. The Sangam area has been declared a no-flying zone. The Sangam area has been completely evacuated. Whatever temporary shops were set up in front of Hanuman temple in Sangam, the administration has got them all removed. No shop of any kind has been allowed to be set up at Sangam Nose till October 8.

WILDLIFE WEEK: In support of Prime Minister’s Vision to protect Environment, College of Forestry of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) is celebrating the 69th edition of Wildlife Week from October 2 to 8 with the theme ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’. The Wildlife Week celebration is a momentous occasion dedicated to raising awareness about wildlife conservation in India and underscores the vital role of collaborative efforts in preserving the nation’s rich biodiversity. Chief guest on the occasion Prof Dr Antony Joseph Raj, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean, College of Forestry informed that India is one of the richest biodiversity hotspots comprising seven-eight per cent of all recorded species of the world with nearly about 91,797 species of animals and 46,340 species of plants. Prof Antony proudly mentioned that India, with great wealth of biological diversity, is home to 411 species of mammals, 1,232 birds, 456 reptiles, 219 amphibians, 2,546 fish, 83,436 kinds of invertebrates and over 50,000 plant species. He highlighted the importance of wildlife conservation efforts in our country which has scripted a remarkable success story in the growth of tigers with the help of 53 tiger reserves and it is a proud moment for India for increasing the tiger population from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 in 2018 and finally to 3167 in 2022.

He said the significant mammals of pride of India are Asiatic lion, Royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic elephant, snow leopard, leopard, Indian rhinoceros, Indian bison, lion-tailed macaque, langur, deer, black buck etc. Prof Dr Antony urged the students and young people to stand as a significant stride in raising awareness and instilling a sense of responsibility for conservation of India’s remarkable wildlife. In his welcome address, Dr Afaq M Wani, Head of Forest Biology, Tree Improvement and Wildlife Sciences, stressed the significance of wildlife conservation in India and our moral responsibility to preserve the faunal and avifaunal resources for the future generations. He also emphasised the significance of awareness celebrations to raise knowledge of students about wildlife conservation. Dr.Afaq added that the stress on wildlife habitat has been caused by population growth. Dr Abhishek James, Associate Dean of College of Forestry,  proposed the vote of thanks. Dr James thanked Prof Dr Antony J Raj, Pro-Vice Chancellor and chief guest), Dr Afaq M Wani (Head), all faculty members and students for making the Wildlife Week celebrations in College of Forestry a grand success. The important events and competitions for the students were quiz competition, drawing competition, wildlife photography competition and scientific name (wild animals and birds) writing competition. Certificates and prizes were distributed to the deserving winners of the competitions. The organising committee members of the wildlife week celebrations were Dr Satyendra Nath (Head, Environmental Science), Dr Neelam Khare (Head, Forest Products), Dr Harsh Bodh Paliwal, Dr Sameer Daniel, Dr Hemant Kumar, Dr Ekta P Mishra, Dr Bipasha David, Dr Iba, Dr John, Dr Amreen Hasan, Mohd Sameer, Satish Kumar, Clint Sones, Anup Kujur, Sanjeet Kumar and Sanjay Kumar.