Kolkata, 05 June (H.S.) : On the occasion of World Environment Day, at a programme organised in the Nalban area of Kolkata, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed concern over urbanisation and environmental imbalance. He said that between rapidly increasing concrete jungles and large residential complexes, greenery is almost disappearing, which may lead to serious consequences in the future.
The Chief Minister clearly stated that officials approving building construction plans must ensure that at least one-third of the land is mandatorily reserved for plantation, but in practice this rule is not being followed. Terming it a serious lapse, he said that strict enforcement of this rule is necessary to maintain environmental balance.
On this occasion, the state government provided information about the plan to plant six lakh fruit-bearing saplings under the ‘Maa Ke Naam Ek Poth’ campaign. Along with this, a target of planting 110 million saplings has been set for the upcoming monsoon session. The Chief Minister said that not only plantation, but also its conservation is equally important, otherwise it will remain merely a formality.
He also emphasised the need to further expand environmental and plantation-related topics in the education system. The Chief Minister said that although chapters on this subject already exist in school curricula, there is a need to make them more effective so that environmental awareness among the younger generation can increase.
The Chief Minister also expressed concern over illegal transfer of forest land and tree cutting. He said that regions such as Jangalmahal and Terai-Dooars are known for their natural beauty, but incidents of tree cutting are also being reported there, which is a serious issue.
He further stressed cleanliness at religious and public places, saying that places such as Kalighat, Dakshineswar Temple and Kapil Muni Ashram must be kept clean and well-maintained, and it is the responsibility of the government. On this occasion, fish seeds were also released into the Nalban lake.
The programme was attended by Minister Shankar Ghosh, Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay, MLA Piyush Kanoria, Locket Chatterjee, Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal, Chief Minister’s advisor Subrata Gupta, along with senior administrative officials.
---
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
