Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel pays tribute to nine forest personnel for their sacrifice in protecting forests, wildlife

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 11 (ANI): On National Forest Martyrs' Day, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the state's first 'Vanpal Smarak' in Gandhinagar and paid floral tributes to nine forest personnel who laid down their lives while protecting forests and wildlife, a release said on Thursday.
In honour of the sacrifice of forest guards, foresters, range forest officers, and other frontline forest personnel of the Forest Department who were martyred while performing their duty in the protection and conservation of forests and wildlife, the Central Government has been observing 11th September every year as National Forest Martyrs' Day since 2013.
In Gujarat, about nine such forest martyrs have laid down their lives. To express gratitude and pay homage to them, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the state's first "Vanpal Smarak" built at the Van Chetna Kendra in Sector 30, Gandhinagar.
Along with Forest Minister Mulubhai Bera and Minister of State Mukesh Patel, he paid heartfelt tribute to the brave forest martyrs and observed two minutes of silence as a mark of respect.
On this occasion, MLA Smt. Ritaben Patel, Principal Secretary of Forest and Environment, Sanjeev Kumar, Head of Forest Force, A P Singh, and senior officials of the Forest Department also paid homage to the forest martyrs.
Earlier, CM Yadav also paid tribute to former Chief Minister Late Vijay Ramaniklal Rupani and the deceased who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash and former deceased members through condolence remarks on the first day of the seventh session of the 15th Legislative Assembly, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
The seventh session of the 15th Gujarat Legislative Assembly commenced on Monday, 8th September, for three days.
On the first day of this session, in the condolence references presented, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, as the Leader of the House, paid tribute to Gujarat's former Chief Minister, late Vijay Rupani, and Gujarat's former Minister, late Hemaben Suryakant Acharya, Gujarat's former Minister of State, late Ishwarsinh Shivaji Chavda and late Nurjahankh Mohammad Ibrahimkhan Babi, Gujarat's former Deputy Minister, late Prof. Balvantray Bachulal Manvar, and former members of Gujarat, late Bhupendrakumar Sevkaram Patni and late Ranchhod Karsan Mere, a CMO release said. (ANI)