When loss of green cover has been a cause of concern, some nature lovers have decided to plant palm trees on either side of a 20-km road in the Maoist-prone Kankadahad block in Dhenkanal district.
Around 30 volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS) of the Bapujee Higher Secondary School, Garhpalasuni and local villagers led by NSS PO Kailash Chandra Sahani and principal of the institution Bhagaban Sasmal planted 2,000 palm seeds on the NSS Day on August 12 last.
“Environment safety calls for a gigantic task and involvement of almost everybody. To contribute our precious little in this direction, we organised a mass plantation drive. We fanned out to collect the palm seeds for several days in which the NSS volunteers and concerned villagers participated. Since the monsoon season is on, it was not difficult for us to collect ripe palm fruits. later, we started planting them along a 5-km-stretch road and planted them,” stated BHSS NSS Boys' Unit PO Kailash Chandra Sahani.
Asked why he chose to plant palm trees, Sahani said, “First of all, one does not have to buy the seeds for planting them unlike in other species. But most importantly, palm trees are the trees where the Baya weaver birds make nest. The trees in thousands of number would create a perfect habitat for the preservation of the cute birds which are fast getting extinct these days. Besides, the poor tribal people of the local villagers would get palm leaves and fruits which would help them make some income, besides building their own thatched houses.”
Sunaram Singh, Jagannath Singh, Sachin Singh, Janmejaya Mahanta, Manas Ranjan Mahanta, Krupa Sindhu Mahanta, Swadhin Biswal, Subrat Sahu, Sunaram Singh and Subodh Biswal, besides scores of local villagers, participated in the programme.