Status of Arunachal as ‘green state’ must be safeguarded: Guv Parnaik

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh governor KT Parnaik has emphasised that the state is a green state and this status must be safeguarded at all costs.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review the state govt's initiatives for conservation of reserved forests in Itanagar on Wednesday, he called for both proactive and remedial measures, along with systemic improvements, to effectively tackle the challenges related to forest conservation, an official statement from the Raj Bhavan said.
Highlighting the importance of technological intervention, the governor advocated for regular and stringent monitoring through Artificial Intelligence tools and satellite mapping and suggested leveraging the expertise of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC), Shillong, for satellite-based forest mapping and data automation.
Sharing insights from his recent visit to the Gir Forest, home to the only population of Asiatic lions outside Africa, Parnaik recommended adopting similar scientific management practices in Arunachal's parks and wildlife sanctuaries. He urged the forest department to emulate these best practices to ensure the effective conservation of biodiversity.
Expressing grave concern over encroachments in reserve forest areas, he underscored the need for visible and decisive corrective action. He said eviction is the only answer to encroachment, not compensation, while urging the departments to demonstrate seriousness and efficiency in enforcement.
Parnaik also stressed the need for better coordination between various departments and agencies to maintain ecological balance. Stating that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat', the state's mission for ‘Viksit Arunachal' is progressing on a war footing, he said no welfare project should be stalled due to delays in land or forest clearances.