Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai Initiates Special Effort to Preserve Greenery Around Bastar’s Sacred Sites

State Government to Plant Trees at Over 10,000 Devgudi-Matagudi Sites and Forest Rights Recognition Locations Across Bastar

TFP Bureau, Raipur, June 22, 2024: Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai has launched a significant initiative to preserve the greenery surrounding Bastar’s centres of faith. The state government will plant trees around these sacred sites with active involvement from tribal communities.

Tribal communities and traditional forest dwellers hold deep reverence for water, forests, land, and their places of worship. Trees around Dev Gudi and Mata Gudi sites are considered sacred, and there is a long-standing tradition of preserving these natural elements.

This plantation campaign will cover approximately 7,055 Devgudi-Matagudi sites and 3,455 sites with forest rights recognition certificates in Bastar, totaling 2,607.200 hectares. In addition to these sacred sites, trees will also be planted around ancient monuments and other significant locations. The initiative will include fruit-bearing and shade-providing trees such as neem, mango, jamun, karji, and amaltas, along with other species recommended by villagers.

The Bastar Commissioner has devised a strategy to plant 562,000 saplings across seven districts in Bastar. Chief Executive Officers of the zila panchayats in each district have been designated as nodal officers for the project. The Commissioner instructed officials to involve village heads, including Baiga, Sirha, Perma, Manjhi, Chalki, Guniya, Gayta, Pujari, Patel, Bajniya, Atpahariya, and public representatives, on the planting day. The goal is to complete the plantation by July 15, 2024, with support from the Forest Department. Collectors are tasked with monitoring the progress of the initiative.

It is notable that 3,455 community forest rights certificates have been issued to various gram sabhas in the name of deities under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. This effort aims to protect and promote Bastar’s centres of faith and living traditions, including Matagudi, Devgudi, Ghotul, ancient memorials, and places of worship. Additionally, 3,600 Devgudi, Matagudi, ancient memorials, and Ghotul sites in non-forest areas have been recorded in revenue records.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

13:57