The Assam government has planned a plant-your-own-tree space while seeking a fine balance between ecology and economy.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said the government would be working on a proposal for identifying land where people can plant a sapling on birthdays or anniversaries of members of their families and take period care of their “own plant”.
This would be in line with a project to create a 1,000-tree tapovan (meditation forest) across Assam in the name of great personalities of the State.
“We have nearing the completion of 24 such tapovans in our bit to strengthen our unique biodiversity, which is the key to our existence,” Mr Sonowal told journalists during a New Year day interaction.
He said his government planted 8.5 crore trees across the State during the last four and a half years. These include indigenous fruit and flowering plants, medicinal plants and herbs.
The Chief Minister also said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance government was striving for improving the State’s economy but without affecting ecology.
“The biggest challenge before humanity today is global warming. We will have to respect ecology. We cannot grow our economy at the cost of ecology. We have to develop a compromising standpoint between ecology and economy,” he said.
“It is imperative that people are made aware of the importance of forest and environment. We have to make sure our forest survives to provide oxygen for survival. During the pandemic, we realised how important oxygen is,” Mr Sonowal added.
Citing a report of the Forest Survey of India, he said Assam’s forest cover increased by 222 sq km since 2016 when the alliance government took charge.
“The tiger population of Manas National Park has also increased while the poaching of rhinos has stopped. Apart from a shift from felling trees, many have realised even the smallest of insects is important. This is good news for the State,” Mr Sonowal said.
