MUSHALPUR, June 10 � With a view to reducing man-elephant conflict in the northern belt of Baksa district, Manas Sousi Khongkhor Eco-Tourism Society (MSKETS), a society for conservation of forest and wildlife, Uttarkuchi with the cooperation of Aranyak NGO, SSB 32nd Bn, Howly and Baksa district committee of ABSU started plantation of nearly 3.6 lakh saplings of various local trees in about 700 bighas of forest land in Dihira Reserve (proposed) Forest and Subankhata Reserve Forest under Batabari Forest Range in Baksa district in keeping with celebration of World Environment Day on June 5 last.
GCBasumatary, CHD of Forest, BTC, Babul Chandra Barbaruah, DC, Baksa, Mahendra Pratap Singh, Commandant, 32nd Bn SSB, Howly, Bipul Basumatary, president, Baksa district ABSU, Shyamal Dutta, Director, Aranyak NGO, Bijoy Choudhury, chairman, MSKETS and a host of distinguished guests were present on the occasion besides the locals.
Speaking on the occasion the CHD of Forest, BTC lauded the initiative of the conservation NGO and maintained that strong initiative needs to be taken to check any further bid to encroach the forest areas. He said that Joint Forest Management Committees will be formed in the said areas to boost forest protection and conservation activities. Bijoy Choudhury, chairman of MSKETS maintained that 60,000 saplings were prepared in the nursery developed by MSKETS at Uttarkuchi with the assistance of Aranyak NGO and US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) while 3 lakh saplings will be provided by the Forest Department of BTC. �The objective of the plantation is primarily to restore the elephant corridor in Dihira RF and Subankhata RF occupied by 26 families of encroachers and also to grow fodder for the herbivores by plantation of gameri, silikha, bhomora and some fruit trees. The plantation will continue till Ban Mahotsav on July 7,� the chairman of the NGO maintained.
