Kashmir Forest Training Institute reflects neglect
Adv Mudasir Nazir
Kashmir Forest Tanning school is situated in Chatternar Bandipora inside a beautiful conifer Forests. This beautiful Forest School is surrounded by lush green forests which warms ones soul when we enter into this beautiful forest campus which catches one’s attraction from all sides which is hardly 3 kms away from main town Bandipora and 58 kms away from Srinagar.
With the advent of scientific management of Forests in Jammu and Kashmir the need for trained subordinate staff was felt for efficient protection of Forests as well as better supervision and execution of various plans and schemes. With these ideas Kashmir Forest Training was founded at Chatternar Bandipora in the year 1911 AD.
The Chatternar Training school was founded by W H Lovegrove, the 3rd Conservator of Forests who headed the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department from 1907 to 1915. He had the vision and foresight of establishing a Forestry School at this remote place. However, unfortunately the successive governments failed to carry on the mission and the glory of this one of the oldest institute of country.
The Dheradhun Forest Research Institute was established in 1906 the oldest one in the country. After just a gap of five years Kashmir Forest Tanning School Bandipora was established it is also considered one of the oldest Forest School of the Country.
Besides being the country’s one among the oldest Forest Training school, Chaitternar is considered as one of the best picnic spot due to its immersing natural beauty which attracts one’s heart.
The campus of Chaitternar is stretched to almost 3 km’s inside, having offices of different government departments like social Forestry, Wildlife, soil Conservation ,Divisional Forests Office etc .The nurseries with hundreds of species of different plants and herbs can be found here which helps the trainee Foresters and forest Guards enrolled in Kashmir Forests Training school Bandipora to have a practical experience and theoretical knowledge too.
A beautiful playground inside Chatternar Forest Campus adds glory to this campus, although the playground is not too big but remains talk of the town during the peak cricket season as it hosts the most cricket leagues throughout the year in which the famous cricketers of state participate. Huge rush of people including children can be seen in Cchatternar who come from different corner’s of Bandipora to watch their favourite players in these leagues.
The other uniqueness of this ground which one cannot find anywhere in the country, in the west is that it is surrounded by the ‘oak land’ Nursery. The huge tall trees whose shadow covers half of the ground with pleasant breeze during hot temperatures and acts as natural colors to boost the energy of players even in the hot summers.
On weekends the campus is full with people coming from different areas for picnic purposes which had inversely effected this eco friendly campus as the people spare trash everywhere. Unfortunately due to the negligence of authorities one cannot find any dustbin anywhere at least to have a check on the pollution inside the forest campus.
So far the Development of this Century old institution is concerned it can be imagined from the fact that the institution which has been founded before the Independence of India and the Forest School which has completed more than 110 years of excellence has not been upgraded yet .
The Forest School which should have been converted into Forest Research Institute much has been neglected by the governments and ruined by the successive forest ministers who could have otherwise contributed towards its betterment.
The interior of this beautiful campus is in shambles, the inner roads have not been macdamized almost from the last 20 years in spite of the fact that this Forest Campus had hosted almost most of the official functions of District Administration.
During recent covid pandemic, covid centers were operating from Chattarnar campus including the testing centre for Bandipora. The government must show some seriousness to develop this Forest training school and upgrade it into the Research Institute.
Being the oldest Forest school of the country besides special project must be sectioned to develop this institute as a model institute by macdamizing the inner roads with proper footh paths, installation of dustbins and other civic facilities at different spots inside the campus and the role of people more particularly the local inhabitants should also become more important to preserve this natural forest Campus from destruction.
It is a time to act now. Tomorrow may be too late.
