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Project to protect coastal ecosystem initiated

Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

Auspicious start: Governor Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare lighting the lamp to inaugurate the seminar on World Environment Day- 2008 at KIIT near Bhubaneswar on Thursday. —

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa Government has initiated an integrated coastal zone management project for ensuring protection to the coastal ecological system and vulnerability of some coastal area due to rise in sea level.

Speaking at the State-level function to mark World Environment Day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the integrated coastal zone management would be taken up with assistance from the World Bank. The project would also minimise impact of natural hazards, he said.

Expressing concern over the climate change, Mr. Patnaik said the agrarian economy of the State was badly affected due to erratic rains, contrasting weather conditions from heat waves to cyclones and from drought to floods. He said massive plantation had been envisaged using funds being mobilised on account of Orissa Environment Management Fund programme in Talcher, Angul, Jharsuguda and other industrial area.

Mr. Patnaik announced, “from next year we shall be reaching every nook and cranny of the State by extending Prakruti Mitra and Prakruti Bandhu award to each block in the State. It will bring about a revolution in recognition of the environment conservation and awareness efforts to improve our environment.”

Chief Minister also gave away this year’s awards of Prakruti Mitra and Prakruti Bandhu to different organisations and individuals who came from 28 districts.

Several workshops and painting competitions were also organised to commemorate World Environment Day here on Thursday.

Attending such a programme on campus of KIIT University here, Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare emphasised on need for evolving a good energy strategy for a clean and green environment.

Changeover was necessary from non-renewable and polluting energy systems to renewable and non-polluting systems, Mr. Bhandare said. “Orissa can lead by example by encouraging use of solar and wind energy. Use of environment friendly technology was important,” he said. Among others Chief Wildlife Warden B. K Patnaik spoke on the occasion.

KORAPUT: World Environment day was celebrated by JK Paper Mills of Rayagada by planting saplings of shade and fruit bearing plants in the plant premises on Thursday.

M.L.. Thapar, the newly appointed Vice-President (Commercial.) of JK Paper Ltd. Rayagada , attending as the chief guest , expressed his concern over the widely unmanaged natural resources all around. While industries were required to come up with schemes to grow more and more of plantations around to enrich the environment and the economic strength of the rural mass, people too were needed to grow the kitchen garden and backyard plantation on their own premises, he added.

A.K. Harichandan, CGM CTS of JK Paper Mills and Officials from Central Forest office also spoke.

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