‘Climate change impacts Kashmir’
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 14: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the “unjust” war imposed on the people of Iran should end and peace should prevail.
“At the end of the day, what we want is peace. We want this unjust war that has been imposed on the people of Iran to stop,” he said.
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The Chief Minister asserted that the United States of America and Israel do not get to decide the leadership of the country and it is for the people of Iran to decide about their leadership.
“As I have said time and again, America and Israel don’t get to decide who the leader of Iran is. Israel and the US don’t get to decide who the Supreme Leader is,” Omar told reporters at Badamwari here in Srinagar.
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Omar said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not just the leader of Iran, “he was an acknowledged religious leader for the entire Muslim Ummah”.
“So, this should not be seen as a conflict with Iran; it has far wider implications,” he added.
The Chief Minister welcomed the Indian ships being allowed to carry fuel through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Anything that allows us to keep our prices low is a good thing, whether that means buying oil from Russia or being able to transport our gas and fuel supplies through the strait, which otherwise is closed for everybody else. It is good for us,” he said.
However, he added that while India will benefit from the move, “ultimately we will benefit when peace prevails. And we want this unjust war to end”.
The Chief Minister hoped that more tourists will come to Kashmir this year as the summer tourist season is about to start.
Omar welcomed the release of Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk and said that he should not have been arrested at first place that too under the NSA. “We hope the promises made with us and Ladakh are fulfilled,” he added.
Later in the day in his address at a national conference on cold-water fisheries here at SKICC, the Chief Minister said climate change is increasingly affecting natural processes in Kashmir and stressed the need to promote cold-water fisheries in J&K in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner.
Omar thanked the Union Ministry for selecting the city as the venue and said the event would help stakeholders learn from best practices adopted in other parts of the country.
He said cold-water fisheries are no longer confined to mountainous regions, citing examples of trout production in places like Hyderabad, and cautioned that claims about the sector must be made carefully in view of rapid technological advancements.
“We have to focus on the use of science, new techniques and research to promote cold-water fisheries,” Omar said, adding that the sector must grow in a way that does not disturb environmental balance.
Highlighting its economic potential, the Chief Minister said the fisheries sector could significantly improve incomes of people associated with it, while stressing the importance of safeguarding their livelihoods.
Referring to changing climatic patterns, he said the region has already begun witnessing unusual weather trends.
“Who would have thought that Srinagar would see such increased temperatures in February? By the first week of March, the bloom had already begun,” he said.
Omar noted that authorities had earlier planned to open the Tulip Garden in the first week of April but are now prepared to open it earlier due to the early bloom of tulips.
“The weather is changing, and it will leave its effects,” he added.
The Chief Minister said technological advancements have made it possible to develop cold-water fisheries in different regions, leading to greater competition.
However, he said the conference in Srinagar would provide an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences and learn from each other.
He said J&K has a long history of trout farming dating back to the early 1900s and stressed that the region’s experience should be shared with others while also learning from innovations adopted in other states.
Omar further said collective efforts are needed to help India move from its current position as the world’s second-largest fish producer to the top position, noting that the Government has been giving focused attention to the fisheries sector and actively promoting its growth.
He also emphasised the need to harness J&K’s rich cold-water resources sustainably by adopting scientific practices and modern technologies that allow cold-water aquaculture to expand without ecological compromise.
Calling for closer collaboration with academic institutions and adoption of best practices from other regions, he said such measures would help strengthen productivity and resilience in the fisheries sector while creating new livelihood opportunities across the Union Territory.
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