Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
Green cover : Social Forestry Dept plants 1.11 lakh saplings this year as against zero plantation last year
The Social Forestry wing of the Forest Department has planted a whopping 1.11 lakh samplings of different varieties across the district and aimed to plant 1.30 lakh saplings in the remaining months of monsoon. The plantation not only helps the environment but also protects bunds and fields from overflowing rainwater, said Divisional officer Neeta Nannaware of the Social Forestry Department.
Nannaware informed ‘The Hitavada’ that the saplings were planted at 58 sites in Nagpur district. Highest 21,485 samplings were planted at six sites of Katol tehsil, followed by 19,000 samplings at 14 sites of Kamptee tehsil, 18,221 samplings at six sites of Kuhi tehsil, 12,320 samplings at four sites of Umred tehsil, 9,333 samplings at four sites of Parseoni tehsil, 9,000 samplings at eight sites of Hingna tehsil, 5,500 samplings at seven sites of Ramtek tehsil, 4,944 saplings at two sites of Nagpur tehsil, 4,000 saplings each at Bhivapur and Narkhed tehsils and 3,333 saplings at a site of Kalmeshwar tehsil, she said.
In Umred tehsil, the Department has set the highest target of 22,109 saplings plantation but, just 12,320 samplings have been planted so far. Similarly, a target of 15,500 saplings plantation was decided for Ramtek tehsil as against plantation of 5,500 samplings in reality so far.
Various plants with different stages of growth have been raised at 19 nursery centres in the Nagpur district. They have been provided with the necessary compost for plantation, informed Nannaware and added that the department also takes up plantation drive along key roads through labourers and school students. The department identifies the locations for plantation and deploy a guard after plantation for safety of the plants. The department is deploying one guard for the area of two km who takes care of plants from cattle and other animals, she said. Concerned Gram Panchayat, Municipal Council and Zilla Parishad have to take care of the plants after three years of growth.
Covid impact : Not a single sampling planted last year
School students play the most important role in the tree plantation drives. As the schools are closed due to the outbreak of Covid, the department is facing problems in tree plantation. Last year, not a single sampling was planted by the department due to coronavirus.
Comments
Post a Comment