Yes, the banks of Kestopur Canal have got beautified over the years, but does beautification necessarily mean that greenery has increased?” asked MLA Sharadwat Mukherjee at a programme in Ultadanga. He was addressing members of Bidhannagar Horticultural Society, who were felicitating him after his victory as MLA (he was appointed health minister shortly afterwards).
Mukherjee was inducted as a life member of the society, and he at once recognised and admired the plant he was being gifted too – an Adenium. His mother Dhruba Mukherjee is a member of the group but could not attend as she was unwell.
“My mother brings home more plants than we have space for, and if I point this out, she reasons she got them for free from this group. Once I joked that tigers would start emerging from her dense greenery, and the next day, indeed, out came a snake! But we must acknowledge that it is we who have entered their habitat,” said Mukherjee, invoking the spirit of environmentalists like Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sundarlal Bahuguna, who led the Chipko Movement.
“Please also visit the greenery and scenic beauty around you, such as in the added areas behind the Sector V bheris. Waterbodies around us have been filled up in the name of development in the past, but let us return our area to its former glory,” he said.
Several society members felicitated the people’s representative, with some even adding a suggestion or two. “My rickshaw driver has asked me to convey that they need a subsidised government canteen (Maa Aahar) next to the sub-divisional hospital,” said Lily Datta of CD Block.
“The ultimate goal of life is to serve others, and we are happy someone close to us has got such a chance and responsibility. We too are ready to contribute in any way,” added president Achyut Ghosh.
Secretary Goutam Kumar Paul was out of town, but his brother and business partner Ananda Paul feted the MLA.
The event concluded with anchor Saumitra Kumar Maiti announcing the date of their next event – the Forest Week celebration. “It shall be held on July 19 at CF Block. Dhrubadi has promised to attend and we are hoping Shradwat can grace the occasion too,” said Maiti, who, being a resident of AD Block, is their neighbour.
