Extensive tree plantation drive has raised forest cover in Bengal, says Bratya Basu
Kolkata: State Forest minister Bratya Basu said in the Assembly on Thursday that the forest cover in Bengal has increased, following the extensive tree plantation programme. The state government has also taken up various steps to strengthen the conservation of mangroves in Sunderbans.
During his speech, Basu told the House that the Forest department has started planting mangrove trees like sundari, goran and geoya in Sunderbans, which will eventually contribute to conserving the environment in the region.
The state government has allotted a fund of Rs 73.02 lakh so far to increase the mangrove forest cover in Sunderbans, the minister told the House, while answering a question raised by an MLA.
While responding to the query, the minister also stated that mangrove trees are being planted not only in the forest and its adjoining areas, but in the core areas as well. "The plantation of a large number of mangrove trees is also evident in the GIS map," the minister said.
Basu also claimed that the Centre's data has corroborated the fact that the forest cover has increased in the state following various initiatives by the Mamata Banerjee government. At present, 15.52 percent of the total land area in the state is covered by forests.
It may be mentioned here that following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's instruction, the Forest department has started distributing saplings among people through various programmes. All the MLAs also get saplings from the Forest department.
CPI-M MLA from Raniganj Jahanara Khatun drew the attention of the Forest minister during the Assembly session, on how she was denied saplings by the district forest officials.
She told the House that she had sought some saplings from the district forest officer, as Raniganj is prone to landslides. But she was told by the officer that there was no such order.
Basu subsequently took note of the incident and assured the MLA that he would ensure that she gets the saplings.
