Jharkhand: Dalma sanctuary sets up nursery to provide livelihood to locals

JAMSHEDPUR: Foresters at the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) have launched a drive to develop a nursery of 50,000 saplings to rejuvenate the green cover and to provide an earning opportunity to dwellers living in the foothill villages amid the Covid-19 pandemic that has rendered many daily wagers jobless.
DFO Abhishek Kumar said, "We will employ from the local villagers in the nursery and are expecting to generate 250 man-days. At least 150 families will get the opportunity to earn from the nursery."
According to Kumar, a worker could earn Rs 300 per day from the nursery which will have 50,000 saplings of various trees like sal, arjun, karanj, teak, fruits and bamboo.
He said, "Plantation in and around the sanctuary with the saplings from the nursery would commence from June when the monsoon starts. Therefore, the nursery has to be ready before June."
"The plantation would commence in June with the onset of the monsoon and by then we have to make the nursery ready," Kumar said.
Kumar added that pockets like Hansada, Saherbera, Somadih, Dangdum, Lailam, Koira and Dangardih among others which form part of the 192 sqkm forest area of the sanctuary will be covered under the plantation drive.
According to foresters, the addition of bamboo saplings in the drive is to check incidents of wild elephants entering into human habitation. They said the drive would be conducted during the pandemic when no visitors would arrive at the sanctuary.
Over and above the workers at the nursery, the work of 70 forest watchers who were employed on a daily basis since last year would be extended.
"During this period when many people were losing their jobs, we decided to extend the service of the forest watchers so that they have a source of livelihood," Kumar said.