Himachal Pradesh CM Advocates for Accurate Forest Cover Recognition

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu pressed the Centre to acknowledge the accurate forest cover of 29.5% in the state for proper fund allocation. He highlighted the importance of Trees outside Forests in ecological conservation. He also discussed expanding Kangra airport to boost tourism and improve flight rules.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has called on the central government to accurately recognize the state's forest and tree cover as 29.5% instead of the officially recorded 27.99%. Sukhu stressed the significance of including the 1.5% Trees outside Forest (ToF) component in policy discussions for better conservation strategies.

In a meeting with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Sukhu argued that failing to account for the ToF component does a disservice to the state's environmental efforts. He noted that the current calculation overlooks significant contributions from private lands and demanded that these areas be given due consideration.

Sukhu also met with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu to seek support for the Kangra airport expansion, emphasizing its potential to enhance tourism. He proposed revising visual flight rules to allow operations in reduced visibility and advocated for longer flight operational hours at Shimla airport.

(With inputs from agencies.)