Five units of power free for every tree planted inside home premises in urban areas: CM

Ranchi: Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday announced that the government will provide five units of power free of cost for every tree which will be planted by the people inside their home premises in urban areas of the
state.

Addressing the 73rd Van Mahotsav program at IIM Premises in Pundag he said that natural disasters can be checked by striking a balance with the environment. He said that the state government will provide five units of free power to people who will plant trees inside their premises of homes in urban areas but the tree should not be a flower and it should be a fruit-bearing tree or some other tree.

He said that in the manner in which nature is being disturbed for the sake of development only disaster will take place and if a balance is not struck soon ultimately human life will have to suffer. He said that for human life to survive trees are important and when the trees are cut it should be compensated only by the planting of more trees.

The Chief Minister said that environmental change has emerged as a big challenge for the world and people need to remain alert as human beings are responsible for the ecological imbalance and ultimately they will have to pay for its consequences. The Chief Minister said that Jharkhand is a different place on the earth as it has also the remains from the Dinosaur Age.

He said that for protecting the environment biodiversity parks are being built in Chakulia Giridih Sahebganj and Dumka and it is a matter of pride that the state’s first fossil park has been dedicated to the people. He said that the name of the state is based on forests and is also home to the tribals who are dependent on forest rivers and hills he said that the state is fortunate to have been blessed by the nature in many ways.

He said that the state government is committed to protecting the trees and the forest, therefore, it has directed to remove the sawmills located near the forests and has decided that there will be no such mills within a five-kilometer radius of the forests and the officials have been also directed to ensure this.

He said that on numerous occasions complaints have been received from villagers regarding the operation of these mills which can not be possible without the knowledge of the officials as this type of conspiracy is hatched only for fulfilling personal vested interests and such people needed to bring a change in their working. 

The Chief Minister said that many conclaves and discussions are organized over environmental balance but it is important that the talks held in such events are realized on the ground in a true sense as there is a need to understand the importance of the forests. He said that pandemics are not a good sign and if people do not protect their land forests and trees then it will be unfortunate.

He said that there is a need to take a pledge to protect the green cover of the state and called on the people to plant more trees as plantations will be an effective tool in the battle against future calamities. He said that urbanization is causing the most damage to the environment which is proving to be dangerous as now urban areas appear to be concrete forests and people are moving towards destruction in the name of development. 

He said that it is being seen the condition of water bodies located near the cities is turning bad as on one hand the rich make arrangements for having more drinking water on the other hand the poor are forced to consume the contaminated water. He said that the development works needed to be taken further by looking at environmental concerns also.

The Chief Minister asked the people to take a pledge to perform plantation drives so that human life earth and environment can be protected. The Chief Minister also participated in a plantation drive and launched a coffee table book on the occasion.