SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 23: The Jharkhand forest department has adopted the Naxal-affected Lokaiya village of Tundi block in Dhanbad, around 35 km away from the district headquarters. The step has been taken to make villagers self-dependent for livelihood through forest cash crops.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) Sanjiv Kumar while giving this information to the media at Dhanbad circuit house on Saturday said that the forest department has identified 50 hectares of land in Lokaiya village of Tundi for the cultivation of Lac and silk.
“The project will serve a double purpose. First, it will earn scope for villagers and secondly, it will help in increasing the green cover (forest ratio) in the region,” he said.
The Tundi block of Dhanbad is considered the most backward area from an economic point of view. Most of the villagers depend on daily wage earnings. The region is also affected by the Naxal menace.
APCCF Sanjiv Kumar arrived here in the morning to attend the Tundi Van Mahotsav and said that the forest department has many welfare projects in the basket for making the villagers of the Naxals-affected Tundi block of Dhanbad that would make them self-dependent. All the projects would be implemented soon in collaboration with local people.
“The forest department has also selected Damodarpur area in Dhanbad city for creating biodiversity forests for the people of the urban area. I have also asked divisional forest officer (DFO) to select more small patches near township so that people could enjoy the biodiversity forest,” he said.
The APCCF also planted saplings under the Tundi Van Mahotsav. Dhanbad Divisional Forest Officer Vimal Lakra, Tundi MLA Mathura Prasad Mahto, Assistant forest officer AK Manjil, Binod Thakur and other officials were also present on the occasion.
Sanjiv Kumar, who was the Divisional Forest Officer in Dhanbad from 2005 to 2009, had launched massive job-oriented projects in Tundi block, especially Lac cultivation and check dams in the parched region of the block.
