Assam: Green Bodoland Mission will revive BTC green cover, says Pramod Boro

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KOKRAJHAR: Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) CEM Pramod Boro on Saturday reiterated the planting of trees in mission mode to make the revival of green cover of the BTC area a success. Boro on Saturday unveiled the logo of ‘Green Bodoland Mission’ (GBM) at a function held in front of BTC Secretariat, and ceremonially planted saplings in the Secretariat complex in the presence of Speaker Katiram Boro, EM of Forest Ranjit Basumatary, EMs Dha-nanjay Basumatary and Dharma Narayan Das, BTC secretaries and forest officials.

The Green Bodoland Mission was launched on June 5 this year on the occasion of World Envi-ronment Day by the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Jointly organised by the Forest de-partment and BTC Secretariat, the mission had been formally launched by Speaker Katiram Boro in the BTC Secretariat complex. The aim of the mission is to maintain and enhance greenery in the Bodoland area.

After unveiling the mission logo on Saturday, the CEM of BTC Pramod Boro said the present status of forest cover in BTC is only 34 percent left, while 40 percent has already been lost due to massive destruction of forest and subsequent encroachments. Regeneration of reserve forest would go towards undoing the damage, which is the reason BTC launched the Green Bodoland Mission for massive tree plantation. He said tree plantation programmes have been undertaken across the country and crores of rupees have been spent, but most of the trees are not surviving for lack of care after plantation. The BTC will implement tree plantation on mission mode to achieve its target by involving NGOs, clubs and societies with the Forest department, said Pra-mod Boro.

Referring to the Raimona National Park which covers 440 sq. km area in Kokrajhar district, Pramod Boro said that over 100 sq. km of new forest area will be added within a short time. The Forest department is already working on a strategy, as a part of which the BTC will regenerate forest cover with massive afforestation drives. As many as 9 nursery units with over 5 lakh saplings in each unit have been set up for re-plantation in denuded forest areas. In this context, Pramod Boro informed that landless people who are encroaching reserve forest would be shifted with alternative arrangements, while those who have their own land and homes in other places would be firmly evicted.

The people of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa districts have been facing acute shortage of water for the past two months. Referring to their woes, Pramod Boro attributed it to climate change and global warming brought about by wanton destruction of forests. “The groundwater level has gone down over 100 feet deep because of our misdeeds committed in the last 4-5 decades. We have got our just desserts today because we destroyed our green forests and hurt Mother Nature,” he commented. The administration will provide drinking water facilities through deep boring but it is not a permanent solution.  For a lasting solution, BTC has undertaken the GBM for revival of green cover through massive afforestation, said Pramod Boro. He further said the council has carried out a survey of ground water scarcity involving IIT students. The CEM also announced that as part of GBM, single-use plastic would be totally banned within a week in BTC Secretariat as a first initiative, following which it will be banned totally in the next three years in BTC region.

It may be mentioned that the Council will contribute 2 percent of its total budget allocation to GBM every financial year. GBM will encompass various activities, including large-scale tree plantation drives, establishment of green belts, and community-based ecological projects. The scheme is designed not only to preserve the existing green cover but also to expand it, ensuring a healthier and more sustainable environment for future generations. The BTC initiative is expected to bring about significant positive changes in the region’s ecological balance, thereby contributing to biodiversity and overall well-being of its residents.

Also Read: Clash Over Land Dispute: BTC EM and ABMSU President Exchange Accusations, Tensions Escalate (sentinelassam.com)

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