Uttarkashi, Nov 25 (PTI) The forest department of Uttarakhand government will prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) to conserve grasslands in the upper Himalayan region of the state, officials said on Monday.
The decision has been taken to prevent the increasing frequency of landslides and land subsidence due to natural and human causes in some grasslands of the state, Head of Forest Force Dhananjay Mohan and Conservator of Forests (Bhagirathi circle) Dharma Singh Meena said at a press conference on Monday.
The officials were speaking to the media after returning from a visit to Dayara Bugyal (meadow) in Uttarkashi.
“Dayara Bugyal is a sensitive area in terms of ecology. The ecological restoration work done there earlier has shown positive results. Landslides and land subsidence can be prevented by taking forward this work in the other grasslands of the state,” Mohan said.
He also talked about starting treatment of landslide at a place called Goi below Dayara.
Meena said till now, work has been done in about 83 hectares of land in 22 grasslands under the Bugyal Conservation Scheme. An SOP will soon be prepared to reduce the biological pressure in all the bugyals, he said.
During their visit, the officials also inspected a snow leopard conservation centre under construction at Lanka near Gangotri.
Mohan said work to prepare the foundation for the centre has been completed while other construction works will be expedited.
He also expressed hope that the centre will be ready within a year to offer tourists the opportunity to witness the wonderful natural environment of the area.
Addressing the presser, Mohan said the Gangotri National Park has emerged as a trans-Himalayan national park in a decade where the presence of a good number of snow leopards has been recorded by the Wildlife Institute of India.
People did not even know about the park till a decade ago, but now tourism has picked up pace with tourists visiting Nelang Valley for safari, Mohan said. PTI COR ALM ARI
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