DHEMAJI, Sept 7 - State�s Minister for Environment & Forest and Excise Parimal Suklabaidya appealed to the people of Dhemaji to be involved with massive plantation activities for the protection of eco-system.
Addressing a meeting after opening Sahitya Manishi Upaban � a biodiversity park at Simnchapori in Dhemaji district on Monday, Suklabaidya said that the afforestation scheme aims at conservation of plant diversity and increase of greenery for a pollution-free atmosphere in the region.
Stating that the State government is implementing the plantation scheme one each in 24 selected districts, the minister sought help from the local people to make the scheme successful. He informed that fund has been sanctioned under CAMPA scheme based on the area coverage and protection activities.
The minister informed that his government has a target to achieve plantation of about 10 crore saplings within the five years and, accordingly, it has completed plantation of around 7 crore saplings.
�Objective of the project is to create a green and pollution-free atmosphere in the region. Our government has earmarked funds amounting to Rs 400 crore to run the scheme for a period of five years,� said minister Suklabaidya.
Suklabaidya further informed that the Forest Survey of India in 2017 reported 222 sq km forest cover in the State, which has increased to 300 sq km during the last three years. The fund allocation in the Forest department, which earlier was Rs 60 crore has been increased to 100 this year, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Lakhimpur Lok Sabha MP Pradan Baruah exuded his hope that the Forest department�s effort taken under Assam State CAMPA scheme would develop eco-tourism in the region besides promoting livelihood for the local people, while Dhemaji MLA Dr Ranij Pegu appealed to the people to adopt plantation culture in the societies. Conservator of Forest (CCF), Assam Satyendra Siangh, who addressed the occasion informed that the scheme covers 24 districts including Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sonitpur districts of North Assam. The scheme covers plantation and conservation of different species of economically important plants including timber yielding plants, orchids, ornamental plants, shrubs, herbs, climbers and medicinal species.
The PCCF foresees that the botanical park would help the researchers and students to conduct their study on plant diversity with economic value and environmental role in maintaining the terrestrial eco-systems. According to Forest department officials, the Upavan at Simenchapori is developed in a 3 hectare area degraded forest in Jamjing Reserve Forest falls under Dhemaji Forest Division. The plantation covers 1,000 different species including some rare and endangered plants.
The estimated cost of the plantation project funded under CAMPA is around Rs 22.86 lakh, out of which an amount of Rs 17.55 lakh has been released so far.
