Reported by Avik Chakraborty
Dibrugarh: The Dibrugarh Press Club, in association with the 171 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Forest Department, organised a plantation programme at its Chowkidinghee campus on Friday to mark World Environment Day.
Deputy Inspector General (Operations), CRPF, Prabhakar Tripathi attended the event as the chief guest.
Among those present were Commanding Officers of CRPF 171 Battalion S. Kengoo and Pankaj P. Shah, Second-in-Command Sanjay Marwar, Dibrugarh District Sports Association (DDSA) general secretary and former Ranji Trophy cricketer Kamakhya Saikia, former Head of Programme of All India Radio (AIR) Dibrugarh Lohit Deka, and Director and Principal of Radhakrishnan School of Arts, Commerce and Science, Bikash Gogoi.
Dibrugarh Press Club president Manash Jyoti Dutta, general secretary Rupunjoy Das and other members of the club also participated in the programme.
The guests and members of the press club planted Nahor saplings during the event. Organisers said the plantation was dedicated to legendary Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, who was known for his affinity for the Nahor tree.
Addressing the gathering, Tripathi underlined the importance of preserving green cover and urged people to plant and protect trees.
Recalling the Covid-19 pandemic, he said oxygen had become the most critical requirement for patients and noted that trees remained the primary natural source of oxygen.
Lohit Deka stressed the importance of nurturing saplings after plantation.
“Planting a sapling is only the beginning. It must be properly maintained and cared for to grow into a tree,” he said.
The invited guests were felicitated with mementos and traditional Assamese gamochas by the Dibrugarh Press Club.
World Environment Day is observed annually on June 5 to promote awareness and action on environmental conservation and sustainability.