TERI launches bamboo plantation at Kalaigaon

The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) Northeast Regional Centre,Guwahati has launched a hybrid bamboo plantation scheme at Kalaigaon Sevashram in Udalguri district. Deepankar Saharia (son of former education minister of Assam late Ramesh Saharia) presently coordinator TERI formally launched the plantation programme on July 31 at 11 AM. Addressing a press meet at the site of the plantation,coordinator Saharia said that TERI NE Regional Centre had been established at Chachal,Guwahati in the year 1993.Since then it had been working for the promotion of modern and systemic farming, cultivation and plantation in NE states. Major services offered were- technological support and implementation of nature resource management projects; potential quantification and energy resource assessment studies; development of micro propagation protocols and supply of quality planting material; technology assessment and preparation of detailed project reports; techno-economic feasibility, monitoring and impact assessment studies; evaluation of projects and training and capacity building.

Speaking on the occasion Saharia remarked that people of Assam had nearly stopped cultivation of species like banana,orange,peeper and bamboo etc. thereby causing untold harm to both economy and ecology. He requested people to give importance to agriculture and horticulture. He also said that paper mills of NE had been facing a tough time due to insufficient plantation of bamboo. Talking to media persons present coordinator TERI said that a plot of fifty bigha (7 ha) had been made available by Kalaigaon Sevesahram Trust for bamboo plantation,on which TERI planted 2800 hybrid (Dendrocalamas asper)saplings. It is worth mentioning that Kalaigaon Sevashram Trust was established in the year 1950 by noted Gandhian leader, freedom fighter late Pani Ram Das. A plot of land measuring fifty bigha had been donated by freedom fighter Das while he was alive for “Kanak Lata Das Bio-diversity Conservation Park” at Kalaigaon. And now TERI,NE has come forward for making his dream a real one.