Kolkata: Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday called for setting a target of planting 10 crore trees this year, advising the govt functionaries in the panchayat, Assembly and parliamentary constituency levels to set targets to plant trees in their respective areas.Addressing a gathering after launching ‘Aranya Saptaha’ (forest week) at Banabitan bio diversity park in Salt Lake on Tuesday, the CM stressed on the need to increase and protect greenery.The CM lamented that there has been a decline in the state’s forest cover over the years. “The city has turned into a concrete jungle. When I fly in a helicopter and see the condition below, I shudder. At the time of passing building plans and setting up institutions, it is being mentioned that infrastructure will be built in two-third of space and plantation will be done in the rest one third of space, but nobody follows the rule. If seen from the sky, it will cause pain as to what a dense forest used to be in areas of Bankura Purulia Jhargram 10 years ago and what a condition it has become today. The previous govt destroyed everything, and didn’t even spare trees,“ the CM said.Citing the example of UP govt’s tree plantation initiative, the CM called for setting a target to plant 10 crore trees this year. “If the UP govt can plant 26 crore trees in a year, why can’t we say that we will at least plant 10 crore trees this year? Why won’t a panchayat member say that I will plant 1,000 trees? Why won’t an MLA say that I will plant 1 lakh trees? Why won’t an MP say that I have seven assembly segments, I will plant 7 lakh trees?,” the CM said. The CM had earlier announced that a total 7.2 crore trees will be planted across the state this year.The CM also stressed on the need of maintenance of trees once they are planted. “Just planting trees will not do, the responsibility of maintenance must be taken for a minimum of 2 years. Through massive afforestation, the environment must be saved in the state, and forest wealth must be created,” Adhikari said.The CM instructed the forest dept to distribute fruit bearing saplings from the 70 big Rath Yatra venues that will be taking place. “I have also told the pollution control board to distribute coconut trees on a massive scale, so that we can protect many areas from lightning,” the CM said.The CM also directed the forest dept to take measures to prevent and stop tree theft and timber smuggling and also to strike a balance between protecting elephant habitation as well as safeguarding human lives.“I will tell the forest dept to stop tree theft, timber smuggling and illegal sawmills. To stop timber smuggling, work by taking the police along so that no one can cut down a tree before it reaches full maturity. Regarding the elephant-centric issues in Jungle Mahal, we have to keep the elephants alive, and again, the way human lives are affected because of elephants, we also have to think about that. We have to save the wildlife centered around the forest, along with the environment-friendly subjects that have existed for ages,” the CM said.The CM also urged state forest dept officials to visit and study how forest dept functioning has been developed in the states of Orissa and Chhattisgarh and to adopt the best practises for functioning of the dept in West Bengal.
