Puri: The Gobinda Tripathi Smruti Parisad Baliput has launched the second phase of its palm plantation initiative across Puri district, aiming to plant 5,000 palm seeds during the current monsoon season.
The move comes amid growing concerns over lightning-related fatalities in Odisha, which has reported 1,625 such deaths in the past five years — highest in the country.
The campaign, led by former CGM P & C, Government of Odisha, Bijoy Chandra Tripathy, along with well-wishers and family members, is also a tribute to freedom fighter Late Gobind Tripathi. It aims to raise public awareness and encourage community participation in ecological conservation.
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The launch event saw active participation from key stakeholders, including Parisad Secretary Gobinda Chandra Farak, educationist Chinmaya Vibek, environmentalist Soumya Ranjan Biswal, and palm conservationist Bijay Kumar Bhatt.
Local representatives such as Ward Member Satyabhama Swain, SHG members, and youth volunteers also joined the initiative, which emphasised sustainable protection measures for the newly-planted saplings. The event was coordinated by Bikram Dutta Parida and Pradipta Kumar Nayak.
Building on last year’s successful plantation of 5,000 seeds along the Dhanua River stream near the Nua Nai River Bank — where most saplings have now grown to a height of 12 to 18 inches — the organisation has set an ambitious five-year target to establish 25,000 palm trees across the region.
PNN
