CM’s green state dream stumble amid bureaucratic neglect in Kangra
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Dharamshala: During his first budget speech, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu shared his vision of transforming Himachal Pradesh into a green state. However, this ambitious dream seemed to fade in Kangra, largely due to the apathy of the local forest department officials.
Green state has become need of the hour given the rising tempreatures. There were reports from various parts of the coutnries where even air conditioning systems even failed leading to fire incidents at some places.
Despite the Chief Minister’s announcement, there was a notable lack of promotion and public awareness about the initiatives aimed at achieving this green state vision. Senior bureaucrats in Kangra appeared indifferent to the CM’s dream, failing to inform the public about the steps being taken in this direction.
It’s plantation season and a study titled Predicting Wasteful Spending in Tree Planting Programs in Indian Himalaya by forest experts indicated a grim reality. The study suggested that “at a minimum, more than half of all spending is likely to be wasteful,” amounting to at least ₹20 crore. This study, published in 2022, was led by Pushpendra Rana, a serving officer in the state’s forest department.
Despite the study’s findings, there was no significant public announcement or effort to ensure the success of plantation drives in the region. Repeated attempts to obtain information on the initiatives taken by the department to fulfill the Chief Minister’s dream and address rising temperatures in Kangra proved futile. Chief Conservator Vikram Singh did not respond to queries sent via email even.
The apparent lack of action and communication from the forest department raises concerns about the effectiveness of the CM’s vision. Without proactive measures and public engagement, the dream of a green Himachal remained just that—a dream.
