Dev starts plantation drive in Ghatal

Kolkata: Actor Dipak Adhikari popularly known as Dev who had contested and won from Ghatal Lok Sabha seat on Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) ticket for the third time had promised to plant trees equal to the number of votes secured by him in the polls, when he had filed nominations on May 2.

On Sunday, as he kicked off his plantation drive, he announced further augmentation of the green cover of Ghatal by setting an aim to plant as many trees as the total votes casted during the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. “Tree plantation is the only way to combat global warming. I want green Ghatal,” said Dev. Dev planted saplings near Uchitpur Health Centre under Sabang Assembly Constituency and said that he desired to plant 15 lakh saplings which amounts to the total votes polled. This excludes the number of votes cast in NOTA.

“NOTA voting means no candidate was the choice of the voters so I am excluding NOTA votes. I will plant 15 lakh saplings in seven assemblies under Ghatal in the next five years,” he added. He appealed to other people to come forward and join in the green drive. He said that he has specific plans for maintenance of the saplings planted. Orders have been placed with ten nurseries for procurement of saplings that include Akashmoni, Sal, Segun, Sishu, mango, jackfruit. Dev has secured lead in six Assembly segments barring Panskura Paschim. He secured 8,37,990 votes while Hiran Chattopadhyay of BJP got 6,55,122 votes. In Keshpur Assembly, Dev managed to secure a lead of 1,03,358 votes, in Sabang he led by 32,683 votes, in Debra he led by 5,827, in Pingla he was ahead with 19,913, in Daspur he was ahead by 16,781 and in Ghatal the lead was by 4,405 votes.