Cutting across the party lines, political representatives on Monday gave a call for making concerted efforts not only to neutralise the climate change effects, but devise a policy initiatives to minimise the same.
The call was given during a seminar — Connecting the Dots — organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and British Deputy High Commission, Chandigarh, which was also attended by the representatives of political parties including SAD MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Badal, Punjab Non-Conventional Energy Minister Bikram Majithia, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Industries NK Sharma, Congress MlAs Brahm Mohindra, and Randeep Singh Nabha, among others.
In his key note address, Majithia said the State Government had accorded top priority to climate change issues and was fully sensitised to its potential impacts on humans, eco-system and economy besides efforts required to mitigate it. “Government is focusing on implementing an integrated energy and climate policy as well as creating awareness about the issue,” he added.
He said that Punjab had already initiated the process of preparation of Strategy and Action Plan for Climate Change (SAPCC) with technical support from German International Cooperation, as per National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) framework.
“It focused on integrating climate change into policies and programmes of the State. Punjab has also proposed to establish Centre of Excellence on Climate Change at ludhiana’s Punjab Agriculture University),” he added.
Besides, a unique ‘Greening Punjab Mission’ has also been launched to increase the area of the state under forest cover from the present 5.13 to 15 per cent by 2022 by
planting 40 crore saplings.
He said that “green building” concept had been introduced as part of building plan approvals. Similarly, PSPCl was encouraging the usage of CFl instead of conventional lighting system, he added.
Department of Housing and Urban Development had too prepared a policy under which each plot holder having area more than 40 square meters shall provide properly-designed rain water harvesting system to replenish groundwater and to improve its quality.
Bathinda MP Harsimrat termed the Greening Punjab Mission “a major stride towards saving environment”. She said that the fast depleting groundwater was a major challenge before the state as earlier 25 per cent need of the irrigation was meted by groundwater and remaining 75 per cent was from river and canal water but now the situation was vice versa.