SRINAGAR, Oct. 15 -- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has called for urgent, coordinated action to protect the Himalayan ecosystem, stressing that development must go hand in hand with environmental conservation as climate change, ecological degradation and unplanned construction pose growing challenges to mountain regions.

In a message to the valedictory session of the 13th Sustainable Mountain Development Summit, Sinha outlined a four-pillar roadmap centred on science-based planning, climate-resilient infrastructure, regenerative livelihoods and a zero-waste mountain economy.

"The vision of a developed India can be realised only when development and environmental protection advance together," the Lieutenant Governor said, underlining t...