A programme to plant ornamental trees along both sides of roads in Naogaon municipality is under way. Naogaon District and Sessions Judge AKM Shahidul Islam opened it at KD Mor in the town at 11am on Sunday (23 May).

The drive to plant 2,000 saplings was organised by tree lover Mahmudun Nabi Belal, district correspondent of Mohona Television and general secretary of the district committee of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJAN).

Those present included former MP from a reserved seat Shahin Monowara Haque, freedom fighter Aktaruzzaman Ronju, Sadar upazila parishad vice-chairman Elias Tuhin Reza, SUJAN Naogaon president Mofazzal Hossain, councillor Asaduzzaman Sagar, Maulana Qari Ramjan Hossain, Human Rights Commission Naogaon vice-president Nurnahar Sushma Sathi and schoolteacher Soheli Naz.

Mahmudun Nabi Belal said the initiative aims to plant about 2,000 saplings of fruit and herbal trees, including krishnachura, mango and jamun, in every ward of the municipality to protect the natural balance, supply clean oxygen and beautify the roads.

In 2017 he planted 100,000 palm seeds along the Naogaon-Rajshahi highway from Boshipur in Santahar to Kamarpara in Mohonpur. The same year he planted 5,500 palm seeds from the Manda ferry ghat to Gabtali on the Niamatpur road; these are now three to four feet tall and clearly visible.

In a third phase, about 10,000 saplings of various fruit, timber, herbal and ornamental species were planted on both sides of about five kilometres of the Naogaon-Rajshahi regional highway from Nowhata Mor to Ranipukur.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.