Amaravati, June 19 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest and Environment, Pawan Kalyan on Friday laid the foundation stone for ‘Aranyaramam’, a first-of-its-kind Common Facility Centre near Mangalagiri.

To be built at a cost of Rs 24 crore, Aranyaramam will serve as the hub for Andhra Pradesh’s forest research, training, conservation, and environmental governance initiatives.

‘Aranyaramam’ will serve as the administrative and supervisory office for the Forest and Environment Department.

It will function as the Command Centre for the units of HANUMAN – Animal Conflict Mitigation Centre, the monitoring hub for the Andhra Pradesh Great Green Wall, wildlife conservation, forest fire management, ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, eco-tourism, and digital environmental governance.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, Pawan Kalyan reviewed the HANUMAN gallery showcasing wildlife rescue operations.

Officials highlighted that the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department successfully carried out 185 wildlife rescues and 36 human-wildlife conflict mitigation operations in 2024 alone.

The Deputy Chief Minister also launched a programme named ‘Nandanavanam’ to revitalise nature in an area that had suffered environmental destruction due to mining. He planted a native banyan sapling.

Mining operations conducted in the area since 2013 have severely degraded the natural hill terrain and forest cover, resulting in rampant environmental destruction.

According to a statement from the office of the Deputy Chief Minister, he has launched an initiative to restore nature to this region.

‘Nandanavanam’ stands as the first initiative aimed at restoring greenery to the forest areas depleted by mining. He planted the banyan sapling with the resolve to transform this entire area into a lush ‘Nandanavanam’ (a celestial garden/paradise) filled with trees.

On this occasion, Pawan Kalyan clarified that the ‘Nandanavanam’ concept is being advanced with the aim of providing future generations with an environment rich in clean air and natural resources by enhancing greenery across the state and restoring natural resources.

The event was attended by State Forest and Environment Department Principal Secretary Kantilal Dande; Forest Department Advisor Mallikarjuna Rao; PCCF (Forest Department) P.V. Chalapathi Rao; State Medical Infrastructure Development Corporation Chairman Chillapalli Srinivasa Rao, and others.

–IANS

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