Kolkata, July 14 (IANS). West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said his government is committed to maintaining a balance between industrial development and environmental protection in the state. He said that along with big investment and industrial expansion, there will be no compromise on the protection of the environment.
The Chief Minister inaugurated ‘Aranya Saptah’ (Forest Week) at Banbitan in Salt Lake on Tuesday. This campaign will run from July 14 to July 20. During this, he also flagged off ‘Banrath’ and appealed to the people to plant as many saplings as possible under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘One Tree in the Name of Mother’ campaign.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said on social media platform X that during the program the Chief Minister called upon the people to plant trees on a large scale.
Addressing the gathering, Suvendu Adhikari said that the rule for approval of any development project is that two-thirds of the total project area should be earmarked for essential infrastructure and the remaining one-third for plantation. He said that earlier this rule was not followed completely, but his government will implement it strictly.
The Chief Minister said that today concrete forests are growing rapidly in cities. In areas where there used to be dense forests ten years ago, the greenery is now disappearing rapidly. He claimed that the condition of the forests of Terai and Dooars areas of North Bengal has also become worrying.
He said, “I am the son of this soil. In the last few years, I have seen with my own eyes how the forests of the state were damaged. Even the trees were not spared. Therefore, there is a need for large-scale plantation for environmental protection.” His statement is being considered as an indirect attack on the previous Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has set a target of planting one crore saplings across West Bengal in the remaining time of this year. He has specifically directed the West Bengal Pollution Control Board to distribute coconut saplings on a large scale. He said that scientific studies have revealed that coconut trees can be helpful in reducing the effects of lightning.
During the program, the Chief Minister also distributed saplings to school children and gave them the message to take active participation in environmental protection.
–IANS
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