NONGTRAI: A village in East Khasi Hills is doing its bit to preserve and protect the green cover in the state.
Residents of Nongtrai village have planted a sapling each in keeping with the ‘one citizen one tree’ initiative of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
About 300 saplings, each tagged with the name of the head of each family here, were planted in the community forest and the proper growth of a plant is the responsibility of the owner.
The plantation drive was an initiative of a major cement company as part of its CSR activities and another 700 saplings were planted by the officials of the company.
“This is the first time that I have planted a tree and taken a pledge to take care of it. I hope it grows big someday and I will be proud of it,” Sona Lyngdoh, an elderly woman in the village, said.
Though Nongtrai’s greenery has not depleted to the extent of raising an environmental alarm, the villagers have taken special interest in the Khasi Mandarin species of oranges and had planted about 25,000 saplings of it four years ago.
“The trees are expected to be laden with fruits in about 2-3 years,” Lyngdoh said.
Some of the exotic varieties of teak and other trees were also planted along the village road to make it more vibrant and welcoming.
Another village elder, O Galong, said the initiative involves responsibility. When one undertakes a tour in the village, guava and other fruit trees are seen beside almost every house.
A forest department official said the ‘one citizen one tree’ was officially launched by the chief minister on June 5.
N Sharma, the operations director of Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited, said the initiative was undertaken to further reduce carbon footprints in the village in line with the firm’s 2030 sustainable goals to protect and enhance biodiversity. (PTI)
