Forest department needs an expansion: J-K Minister

The forest department needs to be expanded to extend the ambit of its activities, Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Forests and Environment, Mian Altaf, said today.
"Forest department needs an expansion to extend the ambit of its activities besides making all the wings of the department more effective and responsive," Altaf said during a seminar on 'Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development'.
The seminar was jointly organised by Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) and World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWFI) here last night.
Altaf said it was imperative to protect forests in order to conserve the biodiversity in the state.

"The important task of forest department is to protect forests, which can pledge the biodiversity conservation in the state. Our collective responsibility is to initiate and work for protection of forest," he said.
Talking about the lifting on ban of the timber import, Altaf said, "The move has considerably reduced pressure on the state forests."
The forest department has set up several nurseries aimed to save the traditional forests and the saplings produced there are being put on open sale to common man, he said.
Altaf added that the initiatives taken at administrative level to improve the work culture in the department will definitely yield good results.