Assam govt to celebrate World Environment Day in every panchayat from next year: Sonowal

Stating that the government had planted 1.42 crore saplings last year, Sonowal said that in the coming year the government in active association of the people of the state would plant 10 crore saplings.

He also sought the cooperation of the people to take positive environmental actions right from neighbourhood clean ups, to action against wild life crimes to replanting forests.
       
Sonowal also said that the creations of the greats like Srimanta Sankaradev, Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika immensely encouraged us for a greener environment as he reiterated the need of transforming environment protection into a mass movement.

The Assam CM also advocated for a synergy between animals, plants and mankind to appreciate the beauty and importance of environment.

He also said that to protect the future generation, environment and its constituents have to be protected and preserved.
    

Sonowal pointed out that the present government after coming to power laid emphasis on a pollution free environment as the government is keen to tag it as a people’s programme. In consonance with the abundance of natural resources of the north east, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to make the region as an organic hub.

Sonowal also called upon everybody to take steps to transform the region into an epicentre of organic practices.
     
Emphasising that Assam has the reputation of being naturally very beautiful, the Assam CM professed that everybody in the state should contribute to make the State more beautiful and allure more and more tourists to come to Assam to enjoy its exotic beauty. The prolific environment in both Barak and Brahmaputra should be protected and the people of the both the valleys should be engaged to enhance beauty of the nature.       

Earlier, Sonowal led the State in a plantation drive and planted saplings in the campus of Dibrugarh University and distributed saplings among the students.     

Environment and Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma, MP Rameswar Teli, MLAs Prasanta Phukan, Rituparna Baruah, Sanjay Kisan, Bimal Bora, Chakradhar Gogoi, eminent litterateur Nagen Saikia, CEM Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council Dipu Ranjan Markari, Vice Chancellor Dibrugarh University Professor Alak Kumar Buragohain and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Moreover, Sonowal also laid the foundation stone for Centre for Tribal Development and Research sponsored by Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council on the sidelines of the programme.

On the other hand, the State Bank of India also celebrated the day with various programme by adopting tree plantation in large scale all across the North Eastern Region.

Bank had adopted tree plantation programme in most its branches in North Eastern states.

Started the day with a symbolic tree plantation programme at bank’s Local Head Office premises in Guwahati and later tree-plants were distributed to all the employees of SBI at Local Head Office as a measure of wide spread and broad basing tree plantation across the SBI fraternity.

Later, a bulk tree plantation programme was arranged in a befitting manner at Balaji Temple, Gorchuk, where more than 100 new tree plants were earthen and showered by PVSLN Murty, Chief General Manager, Digmanu Gupta, Om Prakash Mishra General Managers, Kaushik Sinha, Circle Development Officer of SBI North Eastern Circle, besides other bank executives and employees of SBI.

The whole event at Balaji Temple were witnessed, enjoyed by many visitors, devotees of the Balaji temple and praised for the bank’s initiatives.

Along with the rest of the state, the Commissionerate of Industries and Commerce, Assam also observed World Environment Day.

The day was marked by planting of saplings by the Commissioner Dr KK Dwivedi at the office premises in Udyog Bhawan and Industrial Estate at Bamunimaidam, Guwahati.

The Commissioner was also joined by rest of the officers and staff who took active participation in the tree plantation drive.
       

Commissioner Dr KK Dwivedi highlighted the importance of preserving the ecosystem and called upon everyone to contribute towards making the world clean, green and a better place to live in.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)