As part of a week-long celebration the 71st Van Mahotsava was celebrated in Indoor Stadium, Lower Ground Tamenlong district headquarter.

Awongbow Newmai, Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, M.H. Khan, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change,  Namsinrei Panmei, Chairman, Autonomous District Council, Tamenglong attended the program as Chief Guest, President and Guest of Honour respectively.

Speaking at the program the chief guest said since the survival of trees is very high in the first week of July Van Mahotsava Tree Plantation week is celebrated mainly during this month.

COVID 19 is one such disease which is very much related to our climate and environment change and ecological imbalance and because of this, we are now facing with such a deadly disease. Twenty years ago we hardly care about water reservoir or conservation but today in every village we are now facing water scarcity and even though we have water pipes and fittings equipment we are not able to find water now and the only solution for this is to protect the forest and plant more trees and not to cut trees added Awongbow Newmai.

Under his Ministry, two to three projects such as Hornbill conservation project, watershed project, honey bees project are put up with the central government and it will be implemented very soon said the chief guest and for this, he needs the support of public, NGOs, civil societies so that once the project is passed it can be implemented well in time.
 

Awongbow also appeal to the public of Tamenglong especially to the farmers the villagers can do jhum cultivation for survival but they must also maintain and preserve forest area so that the people and the living being can survive for the next generation to come.

Kereilhouvi Angami PCCF and HoFF Government of Manipur in his welcome address said that Tree Plantation week is celebrated not only to plant trees but it is also an opportunity to give back to our world to protect and preserve our forest. He also stated that every two years the central government conducted a survey in which Tamenglong district has the maximum cover of the forest areas and it is a pride and also an opportunity for the people of Tamenglong to plant more trees in the coming days.

Altogether around twenty thousand tree saplings were planted in Tamenglong district during the Van Mahotsava celebration week.

This year Van Mahotsava was jointly organised by Forest department Government of Manipur, District Administration Tamenglong and Rain Forest Club Tamenglong.