Leh: The 11th edition of the Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS) concluded today with a valedictory function at Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra, Leh.
The session was presided over by the Advisor to Lt. Governor Ladakh, Umang Narula. The session was attended by the Chairman/CEC, Adv. Tashi Gyalson, Deputy Chairman, Tsering Angchuk;
Executive Councillors and Councillors, Administrative Secretaries, President and Vice President IMI, Co-Convenor SMDS-XI, and PCCF Ladakh/Chairman SDF Ladakh. Delegates from across the mountain states and students of colleges and schools from Leh also participated in the closing session.
Vice-President of IMI presented an overview of the 3-day summit, the outcomes and the declarations. Dr Harshwanti Bisht, a passionate mountaineer and a conservationist, presented the Dr. RS Tolia Memorial lecture on the theme ‘Development of Pilgrimage and Tourism in Gangotri National Park Area and its Impact’.
Advisor Narula appreciated the organisers of SMDS-XI for successfully conducting the summit in Leh. He stressed the need for sustainable solutions in mountain regions like Ladakh and further informed initiatives taken by the Ladakh Administration in consultation with both the Hill Councils in developing Ladakh sustainably after the formation of the region as a Union Territory.
In view of the climate change and influx of visitors during the peak season, Advisor Narula stressed the need for proper regulations and sustainable measures to overcome environmental challenges.
CEC Tashi Gyalson, in his address, stressed the need for adequate policies on solid waste management.
He re-iterated that the declaration and the resolutions passed in the legislators’ meet to extend EPR in the mountain states as well as in the other parts of the country, including plains and coastal regions, should be promoted.
He congratulated the SMDS-XI team and expressed gratitude to IMI for its assistance throughout the summit. CEC Gyalson expressed hoped that the outcomes and the message from the summit would be beneficial in bringing good changes. He added that the Prime Minster’s vision of making Ladakh carbon-neutral would get boost from such initiatives and raise awareness among the people on the need for reducing carbon footprints.
President IMI PD Rai thanked LAHDC Leh and UT Administration for hosting the SMDS-XI in Leh and highlighted the major takeaways from the summit. As 2022 has been declared the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, Rai added that major steps need to be taken for a sustainable ecosystem in the mountainous regions of the nation.
Short films on the issues of climate change and the need for a sustainable tourism industry were screened during the event.
