SILCHAR, Aug 18: The Forest Survey of India in its 2009 report based on remote sensing techniques shows increase in forest cover of Cachar district. “This green cover in the face of tremendous biotic pressures is a remarkable achievement”, pointed out Dr S Singh, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer. This, according to him, has happened due to various plantations created by his division under different schemes. In order to hammer his point, he said the national afforestation programme which was initiated in 2003-04 has till date covered 2,200 hectares of degraded forest land. This entire land has been afforested through artificial regeneration, aided natural regeneration, bamboo plantation, mixed plantation, etc. with the involvement of local communities.
Elaborating further, Dr Singh, DFO, said entry point activities like construction of community hall, village footpaths, culverts, RCC bridge, pool and soil as well as moisture conservation works have been carried out. In all 49 joint forest management committees have been involved in this scheme. The plantations carried out by the committees at Borosalganga, Santocherra, Bishnupur, Jarultala, Bhubandhar, Arjanpur, Darmikhal, Nagathal, Khoirabad, Barman Nagar and Gurudayalpur have been quite satisfactory.
The DFO pointed out under National Bamboo Mission beginning in 2006-07, 920 hectares of land have been brought under it. The area under the mission has been planted with indigenous bamboo, besides natural growing muli and daloo. In order to encourage bamboo plantation, several district-level workshops have been organized involving 24 JFMCs.
Plantation created during the last three years under NAP and NBM.
Year/National Afforestation Programme (ha)/National Bamboo Mission (ha)
2006-07 300 100
2007-08 200 120
2008-09 200 200
2009-10 200 100
Dr Singh revealed forest cover has at the same time been augmented through forest village development scheme initiated during 2006-07. It includes construction of ring well, community hall, vocational training, computer training, paramedics, tailoring, improvement of road and other basic facilities for education and safe drinking water. This scheme has at the same time motivated the communities to raise plantation on five hundred hectares of land over degraded forest in which 40 JFMCs have actively participated. He also added to say that under Chief Minister’s Assam Bikas Yojana, one nursery has been raised at Bagorkona under Udharband range at a cost of Rs 3.78 lakh and plantations have been undertaken on 10 hectares of land with the fund of Rs 0.93 lakh. More than 1.5 lakh seedlings are ready for plantation during this monsoon session, Dr Singh concluded. (The Sentinel)
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