Forest man seeks PM Narendra Modi help to stop green cover loss

PARADIP:  After he was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ for protecting the environment by planting tress, Amresh Naresh Samant on Tuesday thanked the PM and sought his intervention to stop destruction of green cover in the name of urbanisation and industrialisation.

An engineer with Paradip Port Trust (PPT), Samant urged the PM to take steps to prevent industries from encroaching on forest land and use the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund for plantation and afforestation in coastal areas. He has his roots in Jagatsinghpur as he belongs to Biswali village of Kujang block.

The TNIE had carried Samant’s story ‘An engineer’s journey towards greening coastal villages’ in its January 31 edition and highlighted the engineer’s efforts to create forests in rural parts of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts to arrest depletion of green cover. Speaking in the 75th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme on Sunday, the PM had praised the engineer for creating rural forests (gramya jungle) in more than 20 coastal villages with help of locals. Samant was also appreciated for covering 715 km on cycle to create awareness among people on creation of ‘gramya jungle’ to protect the environment and enhance rural economy.

“In Odisha’s Paradip, an engineer Amresh Naresh Samant Ji has planted small jungles which are now protecting many villages today.  Friends, if we work for the society by taking up such endeavours, we can achieve great results,” Modi said in his radio programme. Popular as ‘Brukhya Manab (forest man), Samant thanked the PM for highlighting his work and said, “Depletion of forest cover due to natural disasters and cutting of trees by industries are threatening the ecological balance.

I appealed to the PM to curb this practice. Besides, though most of the CSR funds should be spend on afforestation and plantation activities, especially in coastal areas, local industries are not doing the same.”
Talking to TNIE, Samant said if industries are not stopped from encroaching land, efforts to spread greenery in the coastal villages would not succeed. Poor people cutting trees for firewood should be brought under the ambit of Ujjala scheme. It would go a long way in checking felling of trees, he added.