Jammu, June 14: General Administration Department (GAD) today constituted Technical and Grievance Committees for conservation and management of wetlands in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Sanction in terms of Rule 5 (6) of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 is hereby accorded to the constitution of Technical Committee and Grievance for conservation and management of wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir,” reads the Government order issued by the GAD.
The Technical Committee comprising of Director, Department of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing as its chairperson, Chief Conservator of Forests (Working Plan, Research and Training) as member, Special Secretary (Technical) Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, J&K as member secretary, Prof DrShakil Ahmed Romshoo from Department of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir as member, senior Assistant Professor DrDeepikaSalathia from Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu as member, and retired Superintendent Engineer ErAjazRasool from Lakes and Waterways Department Authority. “Any other member to be co-opted by the committee as per requirement,” it says.
The Technical Committee will review brief documents and management plans and will advise on any technical matter referred by the wetland authority. The Technical Committee shall meet atleast once in every quarter to perform its functions.
Meanwhile, the Grievance Committee will have four members and it will be headed as chairperson by Chief Wildlife Warden, J&K.
Additional Commissioner, Jammu/Kashmir in the offices of the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu/Kashmir as members, Member Secretary, J&K Pollution Control Committee as member and Special Secretary/Additional Secretary, Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment as its member secretary.
This committee will provide a mechanism for hearing and forwarding the grievances raised by the public to the authority. The grievance committee shall meet once in every quarter to perform its functions. “The department of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing shall be the nodal department for preparing digital inventory etc., of the wetland of J&K,” an official quoting the order says.