Ubaid Mehdi
Srinagar, Aug 14 (KB): Tosamaidan, spread in the central Kashmir’s Budgam district, Earning it the name “King of Meadows,” has a history checkered with environmental devastation.
Sometime ago, this land, once a pristine area, saw its lush landscape ravaged by rampant illegal logging, where lakhs of pine trees fell to the smuggling activities of unscrupulous operators.
Given the inhospitable terrain of the region and the lack of road connectivity at that point in time, the task of replanting and restoration was quite challenging for the Forest Department.
However, things definitely turned around in this restoration process with the help of the CAMPA scheme.
Under the CAMPA initiative, the Forest Department has claimed substantial reforestation. More than one lakh trees have already been planted, with plans afoot to further this massive replanting program.
Though millions more trees will be required to reclaim the lost meadow landscape, restoration to its full extent is yet to be done.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Budgam Syed Waseem Gul, as per Kashmir Bulletin (KB), said that the department is working wholeheartedly on this ambitious project, “Within the next five to six years, Tosamaidan will be restored to its former state, as it was decades ago. We are continuously monitoring progress and ensuring the successful revival of this very important ecological area.”
Restoration of Tosamaidan would merely signify the replanting of trees; it would also restore the ecological balance and long-term sustainability of the meadow.
Viewed against this backdrop, the project embodies a wider concern for the preservation of the environment and the rejuvenation of natural habitats affected by human activity.
With the reforestation processes on the move, it is hoped that Tosamaidan will regain its erstwhile vibrant and thriving natural landscape, thereby restoring it to the status of a much-cherished and ecologically significant meadow in central Kashmir.— (KB)
