Charaideo district in Upper Assam claimed to have planted more than six lakh saplings in an hour on Sunday to combat global warming and curb man-animal conflict, a feat that may find its way into the Limca Book of Records.
“The plantation drive, titled Shyamali Charaideo, saw a record plantation of 6, 02,000 saplings between 11am and noon across the district,” Charaideo deputy commissioner Vibekananda Phukan said.
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In Limca Book of Records, Haryana’s Faridabad holds the world record of planting over two lakh saplings in three hours in 2015.
“In a bid to end man-elephant conflict, we have planted saplings of banana trees, elephant-apple trees, among others, at Naganadi. We have plans to raise broadcasted paddy in Abhoypur reserve forest to deter elephants from entering paddy fields in nearby villages in search of food,” Gogoi said.
“Planting saplings is not enough. We need to nurture and conserve them,” said Padma Shri Jadav Payeng, who turned a barren sandbar in Kokilamukh in Jorhat district into a forest.
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Describing the drive “a great initiative”, secretary of the Dibru Saikhowa Conservation Society Joynal Abedin said, “It will go a long way in turning Charaideo green.”
Lok Sabha MP from Jorhat Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Sonari MLA Tapan Kumar Gogoi, Mahmara MLA Jogen Mohan and wildlife activist Soumyadeep Datta, among others, participated in the drive.