Dehradun: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed officials to enhance forest conservation efforts while increasing revenue from forest resources. Emphasizing modernization, he called for the upgradation of forest guest houses, exploration of new opportunities in herbal farming and marketing, and effective strategies to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. He also stressed forest fire management, biodiversity conservation, and eco-tourism during a high-level review meeting on game-changer schemes of the forest department at the Secretariat.
The Chief Minister instructed that forest resources be utilized efficiently to generate direct and indirect employment. With summer approaching, he urged a strong action plan to prevent forest fires, ensuring that initiatives translate into ground-level impact rather than remaining on paper. He also suggested studying best practices from other states to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts effectively.
Officials reported that eco-tourism initiatives include developing eco-camping infrastructure, restoring old forest rest houses, and training local youth as nature guides. A dedicated eco-tourism website will soon be launched. So far, eco-tourism activities have generated ₹5 crore for local youth, ₹17 crore from gypsy safaris, and ₹30 lakh for self-help groups.
CM Calls for Fast-Tracking Uttarakhand’s Energy Projects
During the energy department review, CM Dhami stressed speeding up power generation projects, especially small hydropower plants. He reminded officials that Uttarakhand was envisioned as an energy and tourism state, and while tourism is advancing rapidly, energy sector potential remains untapped.
Key directives included:
- Underground power line work in urban areas must be completed before the monsoon.
- Government buildings should be equipped with solar rooftops at the earliest.
- Idle assets of UJVNL and UPCL must be utilized effectively.
- Renewable energy promotion, electricity distribution reforms, and smart meter projects must be accelerated.
Officials informed that under the 2023 revised hydropower policy, eight projects totaling 160.80 MW have received one-time amnesty approval, with a ₹1,790 crore investment by 2030. Additionally, six more projects of 121 MW have been sanctioned. UJVNL will begin three major pump storage projects (Ishari, Lakhwar-Vyasi, Vyasi-Katapathar) worth ₹5,660 crore from 2028, aiming for completion by 2031.
The meeting was attended by Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal, Infrastructure Monitoring Council Vice President Vishwas Dabar, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr. Dhananjay Mohan, Additional Secretary Ranjana Rajguru, UJVNL Managing Director Sandeep Singhal, UPCL Managing Director Anil Kumar, PTCUL Managing Director P.C. Dhyani, and other senior officials.
