BJP to plant 1 crore saplings across Assam tomorrow, each worker to sow seeds of 5 fruit-bearing trees

Guwahati: BJP will plant one crore saplings across Assam on World Environment Day. Party workers will plant at least five fruit-bearing trees at every booth, while each worker will also dedicate a sapling to the memory and honour of their mother.

Assam Pradesh BJP spokesperson Kamal Kumar Medhi said, “During the tenure of previous Congress govts, forests were allegedly subjected to systematic destruction in pursuit of vested interests and profit-driven motives. Indiscriminate felling of trees, rampant encroachment upon forests and wetlands, and the degradation of natural habitats became distressingly commonplace. Incidents of rhino poaching frequently dominated headlines, while the state’s invaluable natural heritage suffered sustained neglect.”

He said NDA govts led by former CM Sarbananda Sonowal and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ended the prolonged period of environmental degradation. “Vast stretches of encroached forest land and wetlands have been reclaimed, wildlife habitats have been restored, and decisive measures have been undertaken to revive Assam’s ecological balance,” he added.

Medhi said over 25,000 acres of forest land have been reclaimed from illegal encroachment in the last five years. “During the eviction drives conducted on Nov 9 and 10 last year in the Dahikata Reserve Forest of Goalpara, nearly 600 illegal encroachers were removed and approximately 1,150 bighas of forest land were restored. Subsequent afforestation and ecological restoration measures have resulted in the gradual return of wildlife to these reclaimed habitats,” he added.

He said the clearance of encroachments from the Dahikata and Bandarmatha reserve forests has reopened elephant corridors, reducing human-elephant conflict and enabling free movement of wild elephants.

“Similarly, at the Rengma Reserve Forest in Golaghat district, govt has recovered approximately 153 hectares of land and initiated extensive plantation activities. Encroachment-free restoration efforts in the Dhansiri and Daldali reserve forests of Karbi Anglong have also paved the way for large-scale afforestation programmes involving multiple indigenous species. Following the reclamation of extensive portions of the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, wildlife movement has become considerably easier, contributing to a notable increase in animal populations,” he added.

Announcing the party’s plans for World Environment Day, Medhi said, “Coinciding with the completion of 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led NDA govt at the Centre, the party has resolved to undertake the plantation of 1 crore saplings throughout the state,” he added.