A high-impact conference on sustainable development and the role of emerging technologies in environmental conservation was held at Amar Singh College, drawing an enthusiastic audience of students and scholars in the college’s packed auditorium. The event was sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Government of India.
The conference was graced by several distinguished guests including Shri Shantmanu (IAS), Financial Commissioner & Additional Chief Secretary, J&K, and Prof. Sheikh Ajaz Bashir, Director Colleges, Higher Education Department, J&K, among other senior academic and administrative dignitaries.
Prof. Manoj Kumar Teotia, from the Department of Sociology at CRRID, Chandigarh, delivered the keynote address, urging a development model for Srinagar that integrates innovation with ecological sensitivity. He emphasized the urgent need to preserve the city’s natural ecosystems while promoting sustainable urban growth.
Panel discussions focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence and sustainability, exploring how technology can support environmental resilience, disaster preparedness, and resource optimization in Srinagar and other ecologically sensitive regions.
Key speakers included Prof. Seema Naaz, Nodal Principal, Kashmir Division Colleges; Prof. Aijaz Ahmad Hakak, Principal, Amar Singh College; Prof. Wilayat Hussain Rizvi, Registrar, Cluster University Srinagar; Prof. Khurshid Ahmad Mir, Controller, Cluster University; Feroze Ahmad Wani, Chairman, Human Welfare Organisation; and Dr. Shabnum Ara, Head of the Department of Sociology at Amar Singh College, who also served as the convener of the event.
Dr. Shabnum Ara thanked all participants, noting the enthusiastic response from students and the collaborative effort of faculty, staff, and volunteers in organizing the conference.
The event underscored the need for interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability and highlighted the important role youth and academia can play in shaping the future of urban development in Kashmir.