UKHRUL: The Ukhrul Forest Division has launched an ambitious district-wide afforestation campaign under the week-long 77th Vana Mahotsava, with a target of planting 2.1 lakh (210,000) saplings across the district.
The initiative builds on the momentum of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, which recently saw the planting of 2.47 lakh (247,000) seedlings in Ukhrul, marking another major step towards strengthening the district’s green cover and ecological resilience.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Laishram Gitla, IFS, said the plantation drive is part of a long-term strategy to restore degraded landscapes, conserve water resources, and enhance climate resilience through active community participation. He emphasized that sustained public involvement remains central to the district’s environmental conservation efforts.
The district-level launch was held at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, where Deputy Commissioner Uppuluri Chaitanya, IAS, DFO Laishram Gitla, IFS, Superintendent of Police Abhinav, IPS, ADC CEO David Kashungnao (MCS), SDO Chingai Roland Ningshen (MCS), SDO Jessami Duna Duo (MCS), ZEO Sunita Jajo, and other district-level officers joined hands with members of the Tungrei Youth Organisation, Headmistress Sr. Mariet SABS, teachers, and students in a large-scale plantation drive on the school campus.
Simultaneously, another key plantation programme was organised at Shokvao Village, which has been adopted under the Community-based Sustainable Forest Management for Water Resources (COSFOM) project. Sanajaoba Khuraijam, IFS, Conservator and Chief Operating Officer of COSFOM, joined Village Headman Reimi Makang, members of the village’s Water Resource Conservation Group, and representatives of NGOs ASOC and ENFOGAL to inspect newly established afforestation sites and community infrastructure.
A notable feature of the Shokvao programme was the installation of a camera trap inside the Forest Closure Area to strengthen wildlife monitoring. DFO Gitla announced that similar camera traps will be installed across all 23 COSFOM project villages, enabling systematic monitoring of wildlife movement, habitat protection, and biodiversity conservation.
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The plantation campaign also extended across several forest ranges in the district, with forest officials, local communities, students, and educational institutions participating in coordinated plantation drives at Awang Kasom, Khalhang Khullen, Jessami Range, and Wahong Village, among other locations.
The Forest Division also plans to sustain the momentum through a large-scale sapling distribution programme in the coming weeks. By supplying saplings to households, institutions, and community lands, the department aims to encourage widespread public participation and significantly enhance Ukhrul’s long-term tree cover and environmental sustainability.
