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Jalikhata banyan tree�s 207th birthday celebrated

By ANN Service

PATACHARKUCHI, June 5 - A massive cake, nearly five square feet in size, decorated with flowers was symbolically cut by Hemkanta Talukdar, incharge CCF, central Assam forest circle, today in the presence of huge gathering of nature lovers to mark the 207th birthday of a tree .

Talukdar expressed happiness at this step of the local people to protect the environment. He also termed it as a good sign for the entire society. While Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 every year by nature lovers throughout the globe in order to generate awareness among the masses about environment and its preservation, nature lovers people here at Jalikhata have celebrated 207 years of a huge banyan tree spread over four bighas of land, about four km from here. They planted as many as 207 sampling besides distributing saplings among nature lovers with various programme to mark the World Environment Day. This was also an attempt to preserve the tree in a scientific way and save it from erosion of the Kaldia river.

The local people believe that the tree has completed 207 years and people from various nooks and corners of the State and even from outside have visited the place. Hence there is a great scope to develop the place into a tourist place. They feel that it is a property of the nation. The people of the locality are already running a �Sivathan� in the name of �Sivathan Santi Niketan Janaseva Ashram� and every year Siva Chaturdashi is celebrated here where people come from long distances. They have also opened one banana garden in the place. The people claim that this tree is second in Asia and the biggest tree in the North-east.

Today the entire place was decorated with various slogans regarding protection of environment. Three school students also delivered special speeches on the occasion. The tree plantation was declared open by Ananda Khataniar, Brand Ambassador of forest and environment, Assam. This year, the World Environment Day was celebrated here with various programmes by the Barpeta district Forest department in association with the Kalibari Sivathan Management Samiti. Munindra Sarma, Deputy Commissioner, Barpeta district was the chief guest of the celebration while Pabindra Deka was the special guest of the programme. A Chakrabarty, BDO, Bajali Block, Phani Pathak, president of Bajali district BJP and Nagen Choudhury, director �Seuji Dhara� along with the Barpeta district forest officials attended the celebration.

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