NewZNew (Bathinda) : The Punjab Biodiversity Board organized a one-day workshop of the District Level Biodiversity Management today. The workshop was meant for creating awareness and capacity building of officers and employees of various government departments to educate them about the Biodiversity Act 2002, biodiversity and other related issues.
Addressing the government officers and employees present at the workshop the president District Biodiversity Board-cum-additional deputy commissioner (development) Mr Varinder Kumar Sharma said that the life was sustaining itself due to biodiversity and we should conserve our natural resources for the generations to come. He said that in today’s mechanized farming era farmers are using hybrid seeds but they should also not forget the traditional and indigenous seeds that are gene pool. Similarly, while undertaking plantations one should consider the native plants over exotic ones.
He added that the District Biodiversity Management Board will now form seven-member committee at the village level and this committee will be empowered to work for conservation of its biodiversity. He said that with the help of Punjab Biodiversity Board a survey of Bathinda will be conducted wherein the native birds, animals and trees of the district will be enlisted so that every resident of Bathinda knows about the biodiversity of his or her area and take steps to conserve it.
Speaking at the event the senior scientist from Punjab Biodiversity Board Dr Gurharminder Singh said that the board was conducting five such workshops in the state. The workshops have already been conducted at Patiala and Rampura and after Bathinda it will be conducted at Hoshiarpur and Amritsar. He said that the Bathinda district has native medicinal plants like Kreer, Jand, Kikkar etc, which should be conserved. The District Level Biodiversity Management Committee will work with officers, employees and villages’ committees in identifying places that have these trees. Once identified, the place will be conserved and people would be made aware of it. He added that similarly it was important to conserve the birds and animals of Bathinda.
Addressing the gathering the Divisional Forest Officer Mr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari said that Bathinda district has four block forests spread in 800 acres of land and has variety of over 60 species of plants. He added that the Punjab government has set up Bird Talab mini zoo for animals and biodiversity park in 202 acres of land in Bir Dayalpura village.
Prominent among others present included Central University of Punjab’s horticulture and landscape officer Dr Jaswinder Singh Bilga, Dr Onkar Singh from Punjabi University Patiala, Dr Rupali Bal from Punjab Biodiversity Board, Kuldeep Gandhi from Abhilasha Foundation, officers from health, forest, education, panchayat and agriculture department were also present.