SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 9: The forest department in collaboration with local villagers will tie Rakhi on trees in 1000 forest villages across the state on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.’
The villages have been selected for this mega programme in all the 24 districts of the state including Dhanbad, Giridih, Bokaro, Koderma, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Gumla, Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum) and Chaibasa (West Singhbhum). The programme will be organized simultaneously on August 11 (Raksha Bandhan).
The ambitious programme is the brainchild of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) Sanjiv Kumar. In 2005, he experimented with the programme along with selected villagers on small scale in 35 villages of Dhanbad by tying Rakhi (sacred cotton threads) on a tree on the auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan to attract villagers to check the felling of trees.
The function became most popular among villagers in the region. The residents of other villages followed the footstep of forest department officials and began celebrating (tying Rakhi on trees) in their respective areas for protection as well as possession.
Now MLAs have also joined in celebrating the function in their respective constituency. Tundi JMM MLA Mathura Prasad Mahto in Dhanbad has moved one step ahead in celebrating the Mahotsav.
“Large scale programme is part of Janjagran (mass awareness) of villagers towards protection and conservation of trees. It has not only helped in water conservation but also became a major source of livelihood based on minor forest produce for villagers who had depended only on daily wage earning for survival,” said Sanjiv Kumar.
Encouraged by villagers’ response in Dhanbad in 2005, Sanjiv Kumar launched the Raksha Bandhan programme in villages where ever he was transferred as a divisional forest officer.
“Of course tying Rakhi on a tree has now become a festival of villagers. So, under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav we have selected 1000 villages across the state for the festival on August 11. The focus has been given to the villages where there is a need of encouraging villagers towards protection and utilization of tree for livelihood,” said Sanjiv Kumar.
It has given good results and regenerated forests to much extent, he added.