Jammu, February 6 (Scoop News) –N. N. Vohra, Governor, has called for urgent utilization of eco-friendly technologies for the sustained protection of environment and ecology.
The Governor said this while receiving a detailed presentation by a team of senior Scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Bio-Digester based eco-friendly toilets, at Raj Bhavan, here last evening.
The Governor observed that there is need for urgently utilizing the valuable technology developed by the DRDO for an eco-friendly solution to treat human wastes. He said that this technology should be adequately publicized for enlarging awareness about its utility. He observed that possibilities could be explored for installation of these Bio-toilets at various important tourist spots for eco-friendly treatment of human wastes.
The Governor, who is Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, asked Navin K. Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer of these Boards, who was present on the occasion, to take up the matter with the DRDO for preparing project reports on the feasibility of installing these eco-friendly toilets at Baltal and Nunwan Base Camps of Shri Amarnathji Yatra and, thereafter, at Sangam, Panjtarni, Sheshnag and the Holy Cave area, after assessing the efficacy of this technology. He added that a similar feasibility report should be urgently prepared for the installation of eco-friendly toilets on the track from Katra to Bhawan, adding that a time-bound action plan should be prepared for this purpose.
Prof. (Dr.) M. P. Kaushik, Outstanding Scientist and Director, DRDE, Gwalior, in his presentation, explained the entire gamut of development and working of Bio-digesters and variants thereof both for high and low altitude areas. He also spoke about the current status of the usage of Bio-toilets/Bio-digesters in the country and its future roadmap. He said that besides the Railways these toilets have been installed at various places in the country and are functioning efficiently.
The DRDO team comprised Dr. Sudarshan Kumar, Director CFEES, DRDO, Delhi; Col Pankaj Chaturvedi and Dr. D. V. Kamboj.
Atal Dulloo, Commissioner/Secretary, Tourism; M. K. Dwivedi, Commissioner/Secretary, Health; Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board; A. K. Tikku, Member-Secretary, State Pollution Control Board; Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, B. Mohan Das, IFOS, R. K. Pandita, GM (Works) of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, and other senior officers were present on this occasion.