RADHESHYAM GOENKA- FOREST MAN OF ASSAM

Mr. Radheshyam Goenka of  Dibrugarh spreading ‘Green Love’ for last 15years. Another ‘FOREST MAN OF ASSAM’, he planted over 20,000 ‘KRISHNACHURA’ tree (Delonix regia) in Dibrugarh City.
Goenka, Dibrugarh’s very own Sundarlal Bahugana, is aiming to personally plant at least 20,000 trees in and around the town. Unlike many others, his duty does not end in planting saplings at public places; he nurtures the saplings till they are fit to survive the pollution that has engulfed this once verdant town on the bank of the Brahmaputra.
‘Please plant a tree,’ pleaded the businessman to all on the eve of World Environment Day. ‘People can fix days like the birthdays of their children, their marriage anniversaries or even the death anniversaries of their dear ones to plant trees. That way, they will find the impetus to take care of the sapling as it will remind them of those days,’ he said.
So, what was that personal moment of inspiration for Goenka’
‘In 1996, I visited Bangalore and was impressed by all the greenery amid the concrete. I thought to myself, why can’t we do something for our Dibrugarh, too’ recalled Goenka, who has already set up a nursery in the backyard of his Jyotinagar residence.
For his mission, Goenka has chosen the krishnachura. Over the past few years, with a budget of Rs 5,000 per month, he has planted over 5,000 trees in various parts of the town and also tends them regularly.
So strong is his bond with the trees he plants that he fell ill from grief last year after people from the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) hacked three trees whose branches were touching electricity cables.
However, that did not deter Goenka from continuing his mission. He planted three more saplings in the area.
‘I don’t like to complain. The ASEB people too have to do their duty but my only request to them is to be sensitive when they come to chop off the branches. It can be done in a scientific way so that no harm is caused to the trees. In any case, nowadays I do not wait for them. I myself chop the twigs when they seem to touch the electricity lines,’ he said.
Goenka’s efforts have won him appreciation from various NGOs. The Dibrugarh district administration felicitated him on Republic Day this year. But his most valued awards are the saplings planted by the residents of the town.
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