TURA, Oct 27 - In view of the increasing cases of smuggling of timber in the plain belt of West Garo Hills, the Centre for Environment Protection and Rural Development (CEPARD) opened a new unit in the town of Phulbari.
Samgar Sangma, president of the environmental NGO, said in a press release today that �there are many cases of timber smuggling within the plain belt region and as such we decided to do something about it. Our teams have been working to ensure environmental degradation does not happen and we felt it necessary to ensure the presence of our team in Phulbari�.
The new team will be headed by FKJGP�s former president Treepon A Sangma as the president and Pran Krishna Adhikari as the general secretary, along with some residents of the town acting as members.
Sangma said that CEPARD would try and stop illegal smuggling of timber as well as work for grass-root development. �We have decided to work on environment protection and social integration as well as work towards helping in the uplift of the underprivileged, something that we have been doing for quite some time,� said Sangma.
Adhikari, on the other hand, asked the members to take initiatives towards development of the town, social awareness and climate change. Many things, including the lack of proper drinking water for the town, were touched upon.
�We will definitely try and make changes to the place and ensure the environment remains protected for future generations,� said newly inducted member Uttam Das in the role of an advisor.
