The answer to the problem of corruption is to eradicate it from top to bottom starting at the top. The lieutenant governor of Andaman and Nicobar, lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh (retd) said this while addressing Indian Forest Service probationers at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) here on Friday.
Speaking about Andaman and Nicobar, he said that this union territory is a cluster of 556 islands of which 37 are populated. Situated at a distance of about 1,200 kilometres from the Indian mainland, 94 per cent of the area in Andaman and Nicobar is under forest cover with 96 wildlife sanctuaries, two marine national parks and one biosphere reserve in addition to nine national parks.
It has immense potential for fisheries and marine resources. With its forest wealth, coastal flora and faunal wealth and beautiful beaches the islands have the potential to become one of the major tourist attractions of the world.
He said, “We face developmental challenges every day. I have been working hard for the last two years on development and conservation in addition to keep an eye on security aspects. As far as I understand, Andaman and Nicobar is very important from four points of view- strategic importance and security aspects, the four lakh plus people living here and their expectations, the 28,000 plus indigenous tribals who have been living here for thousands of years and the ecosystem. Based on my experience I have prepared an outline for the development of these islands to encourage inclusive development keeping in mind the indigenous tribes and concern for the fragile ecology. The aim is to increase employment opportunities for the youth, increasing facilities for travel between the islands and the mainland and ensuring strategic security. The time has come for planned effort to establish a balance between environmental conservation and development. There is need for encouraging environmental conservation and developmental efforts together as imbalance in these can prove detrimental to national interests,” he said.
The IGNFA director Vinod Kumar, Andaman and Nicobar principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden GN Sinha and officers of the Indian Military Academy and Eco Task Force were also among those present on the occasion.