J&K Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha, on the occasion of Worl Environment Day, appealed to the people of the valley to isolate terror elements and promote peace amidst the recent turmoil, and claimed that "terrorism has no place in the society".
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday appealed to the people of the union territory to isolate terror elements to promote peace. Addressing the 'One Earth, Shared Future' program organized by the Forest Department on World Environment Day, Sinha said Jammu & Kashmir is witnessing another kind of pollution -- terrorism -- "exported by our neighboring country and it is threatening our social harmony".
"Terrorists are targeting innocent men, women, and even children. Society must speak up now. Communities must come together as one entity to fight this menace,” the Lt Governor said. Terrorism has no place in society, he said, adding, “I call upon every citizen to isolate terror elements, expose their brutality. It is the fundamental duty of every citizen towards the nation to protect and promote peace”.
Sinha said the police and security forces are fighting the menace of terrorism with restraint and fairness and saving innocent lives. "Our forces will keep responding effectively and firmly resolved to finish destructive threat of terrorism,” he added. In his address, the Lt Governor highlighted the need for coordinated action and collective partnership, besides making changes in our behavior and lifestyle, to tackle the impact of climate change and reducing the carbon footprint for protecting the environment and conserving biodiversity.
"We are blessed with nature's rich resources but also confronted with multiple challenges of a fragile ecosystem which requires collective action to create a fine balance between man and nature," he said. "Climate change is a reality. We are experiencing it in the form of climate extremes, like the unprecedented heat wave and untimely heavy rainfall which are challenging and endangering the existing ecosystem," Sinha said.
This year's theme of World Environment Day -- 'Only One Earth' -- is a reminder to the entire world that environmental protection or sustainable lifestyle is not the job of a select few, but a collective responsibility of each one of us, he added. Highlighting the Jammu and Kashmir government’s consistent efforts toward environmental protection, the Lt Governor said the protected area network is around 12 percent of the geographical area which is more than double the national average of five percent.
"Our focus is the industrial environment through nature-based solutions," he added.