 Good afternoon to Madam Chairperson and to all our colleagues connecting online. This is a very important and a landmark session called by the FAO in the middle of a worldwide crisis of the pandemic and showing just how important it is for us to unite our efforts in preserving the environment and especially our urban ecosystems to maintain peace and tranquility. In fact, in the first early remarks, the Honorable Chairperson had made some very insistive observations about a safe city and as she had said, a city free from all physical, social and mental stress. And the needless to say availability of water in the urban households in the urban society is a very key input for maintaining social order and peace in the urban ecosystem. In fact, as we go forward, I would like to point out that there has been a global undervaluation of forests and its importance. And looking back in the year 1999, the Chief of the US Forest Service, Mike Dombeck, he had put up a paper and which was a landmark for its recent observation. And I'll just read out from that. He says nationalism and economics often drew major wars of the 19th and 20th centuries without planning, cooperation and forethought wars in the 21st century may be fought over water and other resources. And then most interestingly, he goes on to describe the US Forest Service as the world's largest water company. That's contrary to what many of us regard forests as a source of timber or tourism or minor minerals. Water is often overlooked. But when it comes to saving the human race, it is this single resource which is most critical. Forests are the final repository of the carbon sink. They provide the aesthetic charm to society and they also provide the water. And this is now slowly sinking into urban consciousness. The result is that within the past few decades, we have seen a slew of legislations in various states of India to protect the urban forest. These include the Tamil Nadu Hill Areas Preservation of Trees Act 1955 to preserve the hill areas of Konur, Kodaikanal, Kota Giri, Kutukamand and Yerkod. The Delhi Preservation of Trees Act 1994 to preserve the trees in national capital territory of Delhi. The Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act 2002 for the conservation of water sources, land and environment. And the Meghalaya Tree Preservation Act 1976, which is the subject matter of today's presentation and on which we'll be putting up a special focus. Now, the Meghalaya Tree Preservation Act, or one short, the MTPA, was enacted in 1976 to regulate the felling of trees to protect the catchment areas and the soil erosion over the infallibility and containment areas of Shillong in the Meghalaya State of India. Covering a radius of 10 kilometers measured from the Deputy Commissioner's Court in Shillong. That was because Meghalaya at Shillong at that time was experiencing a growth in its population with the result that pressure on land was mounting. And there was a fear that in the process of expanding various infrastructure, the trees will be sacrificed. And therefore, the MTPA was brought into effect specifically for the urban areas of Shillong in the containment and the municipality areas. Now, this act bars the felling of trees without permission of the Divisional Forest Officer. And if the trees are filled with permission, they must be suitably compensated by the applicant by planting 10 times the number of trees filled. And the penalty for contribution of this act includes fine and caesar of tools. And this act has been very effective in preserving the trees despite the pressure on land, which can be seen from the fact that number of trees planted by applicants in the place of the trees seeds the number of trees felt. Now, Meghalaya is a tribal state in India. And there are multiple agencies which are in charge of administration all over the state. Urbanization puts forward a very unique threat, a unique pressure on the state, which needs a very robust act to protect the forest and to conserve them and to ensure that they are suitably compensated in case they are filled. And with this aim in mind, the Meghalaya Tree Preservation Act is a very key input, especially because Meghalaya has been experienced significant urbanization in the recent decades. Coming to Shillong Urban Aglomerate, it comprises five census towns, apart from the municipality and the cantonment. Apart from this, the towns of Tura, Jowai, and Longstown expanded considerably. Now, protection of trees, they were poses a significant administrative challenge. The Meghalaya Municipal Act 1973 provides the funds for planting and felling of trees and bamboos. But these provisions do not apply for the non-municipal areas. Now, this paper, which has been done jointly by my colleague, Mr. CP Marek, who was earlier the Principal City Conservator Head of Forests Force of Meghalaya Forest Department, on the basis of our experience and looking at the significant and conspicuous success of MTPA with regard to Shillong, we would like to suggest that the MTPA could be expanded to other towns of Shillong so that the forests in the urban areas could be suitably preserved. The mechanism, which already is in effect in the cantonment and the municipality areas, that benefit can be extended to all the parts of the state. Thank you so much.