Puri: The coastal community in Puri district marked PM Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday with events organised by Sabuja Sakha Astaranga and Odisha Paryavaran Sanrakshan Abhiyan (OPSA) Trust, including a public meeting, rally, and mangrove plantation drive at the Devi River mouth in Astaranga. Hundreds of participants, including community members, leaders, youth, women, and fisherfolk, joined the celebrations. Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, the chief guest, praised the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 campaign, highlighting the role of mangroves in protecting Odisha’s coastline and supporting livelihoods, while lauding OPSA Trust’s community-led conservation efforts.
OPSA managing trustee Soumya Ranjan Biswal urged the protection of Odisha’s mangroves, especially along the Devi, Brahmani, Baitarani, and Budhabalanga rivers, and called on the MP and state government to consider a new conservation policy. Eleven women from Jhadling and Nuagarh Panchayats were felicitated for their role in mangrove restoration, and MP Tarai unveiled OPSA’s decade-long conservation journey compilation, “Voices from the Coast.”
The event, moderated by Dushmant Parida, was attended by block chairman Arati Naik, BDO Sasmita Behera, Tehsildar Priyanka Pati, Sabuja Sakha founder Dibakar Chhatoi, and community leader Baidhar Mallick. Participants took part in a 4 km rally, culminating in the symbolic plantation of 5,000 mangrove saplings and the inauguration of a new 15,000-sapling nursery. The programme was coordinated by Sabuja Sakha president Durga Charana Moharana and trust members Babu Behera and Suman Pradhan.
