Mukti on 21st August 2021, Saturday organized a meeting with the West Bengal Forest Department at Kuyemuri Nalgora Forest under Herembogopalpur GP, Patharpratima block from 9 AM to 11 AM. The main subject of the discussion was the planting and protection of mangroves. The project will be the joint venture of Mukti and the Forest Department.
Mr. Sanath Kumar Deb, Officer-in-charge of the forest department, Mr. Tapan Das, forest department office staff with other Mukti staffs Mr. Rajat Mondal, Mangrove project coordinator, Mr. Harisadhan Mondal, Mukti gram project coordinator, and Mukti working committee members Mr. Chitta Ranjan Halder, Mr. Yasim Gazi, Mr. Subarna Kar attended the meeting.
The discussion of the meeting-
Mukti within its capacity planted 54,000 mangrove saplings beside river Thakuran in Purba Sridharpur on 3 hectors of land, 3,000 saplings in some places of Damkal and 50,000 saplings at Charanrekhali Purandar of Basanti block (junction of Hogol, Matla and Vidyadhari river) on 50 bighas of land. Mukti has a plan to plant more mangrove saplings on all the riversides where mangroves have been destroyed the rest of the places of Damkal, Nagendrapur, Kankandighi, Baradanagar etc. To plant more mangroves in the future, Mukti has created a mangrove nursery at Mukti Gram where Mukti is nurturing 3 lakh of mangrove saplings.
Mangrove saplings will be planted in the remaining blocks including Raidighi, Kultali and Patharpratima of Sundarban by the forest department, excluding the designated mangrove sites of Mukti.
The officials praised the initiative of Mukti and said that the government forest guards would also help them in their needs.
Mangroves are the natural barrier against all cyclonic storms. It helps to prevent soil erosion and filter the seawater and store it as a freshwater reservoir.
The mangrove forest, the home of thousands of species must be protected otherwise these species will be extinct.
Mangroves cannot be cut for household or livelihood needs, the destruction of forests in the name of development must be stopped. Alternative sources of livelihood should be created for the people living near the mangrove forests.
Apart from that, the plantation of mangroves should be encouraged and legislative measures should be implemented strictly.
Mukti thanked the forest department officials for coming to discuss such an important issue with Mukti. Forest department officials admired the efforts of Mukti and assured their support for the success of the project.