Srinagar, Oct 12 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir is aiming to become the first Himalayan territory to adopt a ‘Mountain Development Policy’, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday, cautioning that the policy framework must not be formulated in isolation.
Addressing a gathering at the 13th Sustainable Mountain Development Summit at SKUAST-K, Omar, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said Jammu and Kashmir would like to be the first Himalayan territory to have a ‘Mountain Development Policy’.
The Chief Minister said, “I would tell you from my governance side that we would love to implement it, but it is important that the policy is not created in isolation.”
He said many people outside J&K had the misconception that the region’s economy depended on tourism, whereas agriculture and horticulture contributed far more to the economy.
“Most people outside J&K have a misconception that the region’s economy survives on tourism, but in reality, the contribution of the tourism sector towards the economy of J&K is on the third or fourth number. Agriculture and horticulture are far above anything else. For us, protecting our environment and sustainable mountain development is our existence and our very survival depends on it,” he said.
He said the government alone could not protect or safeguard the environment, stressing the need for collective efforts to address environmental challenges.
“There is a need for collective efforts to tackle it. Even the alarming matter of climate change can’t be dealt with single-handedly by any region or country. We are aware that protecting the environment is a primary job of the government, but at the same time, I believe that citizens should use the environment judiciously,” he said.
“Over the past couple of years, Kashmir has been witnessing a shortage of rainfall and uneven snowfall. Kashmir is also witnessing an unusual series of cloudbursts,” Omar said, adding, “This is a new reality. This is a reality we are living with. With this, we need to learn how we can sustain our livelihoods along with development. Development is essential.”
On the flow of tourists, the Chief Minister said, “In closed rooms, we are discussing limiting the number of tourists, but in reality, we cannot restrict them to limited numbers because many families in Jammu and Kashmir are dependent on the tourism sector.”
“It is true that some of our tourism destinations do not have the same carrying capacity, and we need to widen the tourism sector. It is also true that there is more pressure on the environment because of tourism, but saying that all the issues related to the environment occur just because of Yatris and tourism isn’t correct at all,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said that before pointing fingers at tourists, people in J&K must examine their own role in protecting the environment. “Before raising fingers at tourists, it is our responsibility to protect the environment. We need to look at ourselves and see how much plastic bag usage and other hazardous things are being used by the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
He called for a practical and balanced approach to sustainable mountain development, stressing that environmental protection, economic growth and people’s livelihoods must go hand in hand.
On the occasion, the CM further said that there was a need for environmentally sound infrastructure. “Unscientific hill cutting during road construction had contributed to landslides and repeated damage to roads, particularly in far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir.”
He said road construction agencies often resorted to indiscriminate cutting of mountain slopes without adequate consideration for slope stabilisation and appropriate cutting angles. “While such practices might reduce initial construction costs, the resulting damage during rainfall frequently necessitated reconstruction, diverting resources that could otherwise be used to build new roads.”
The Chief Minister urged the Forest and Environment Department and the Public Works Department to work together to ensure that development projects incorporated sustainable engineering practices and reduced the risk of landslides—(KNO)