Organic pisciculture made a splash on August 9 as minister of agriculture Purnendu Bose upended a handi full of fingerlings in the waterbody of Bidhan Sishu Udyan in presence of children who have signed up for various courses at the institute and their parents.
“Of late, various environmental concerns are coming to the fore in the neighbourhood of Salt Lake. We have a natural water resource here which needs to be protected and also used for sustainable development for our benefit. This place also has an open tract of land where we have started producing organic vegetables. By organic, we mean crops in which no chemical is used to boost production, quantitywise or qualitywise,” said Bose.
The compound is also used as a farmers’ market on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings. “We sell here what we produce. Farmers from the suburbs also come with fresh produce. This is an open market and everyone is welcome. Organic fruits, vegetables and fish not only taste better but are also lower in price,” he added.
The Udyan authorities are also planning to use the embankment of the waterbody to build a macha for lau and chaalkumro. “This way the banks will find maximum utilisation. Vegetable peels and left-over food will be added as natural fertilisers for the plants,” he added.
Bidhan Sishu Udyan, which is already host to a number of after-school activities for school children, will also now provide training to gardeners and people who are interested in developing a terrace garden or kitchen garden.
“We will train them in cultivation methods without the need for soil. We have experts in the field of agriculture who are taking care of projects in which plants are grown without soil. Only saline water is used to provide them nutrition. That is our next project here that is set to be launched before Durga puja,” said the agriculture minister.
Sharmila Kundu, a housewife who brings her daughter for swimming classes at Bidhan Sishu Udyan said: “It is nice that people are waking up for the cause of the environment. With so many new buildings and roads coming up all over Salt Lake and New Town, this is something that needs attention. I am glad this place is going to grow organic food.”
Agreed Sreema Halder, who comes from Manicktala every week to train her son in table tennis. “It is good for the children also who come here. The environment is such that they will begin to take an interest in organic farming and pisciculture projects since it is happening right in front of their eyes. With more exposure they will also take up the responsibility of protecting the environment. They are our future, so they must be taught how to take care of nature,” she added.
I got very excited when I came across the article “Gift of life after death” published on July 14. I had long been looking for some direction regarding donating my body after death and the article provided me that information.
Before this, I had asked my doctor for help in this regard and he told us not to think about this. I was very sad. But then I heard that Jyoti Basu donated his body. Later I learnt that my sisters-in-law and brother-in-law in Delhi have pledged to do the same.
I too wanted to donate my organs and in a way, remain in this world even after I’m gone. I had started talking to my family about my wish and was trying to convince them when I came across this article. Now I’ve got the relevant contact numbers and am happy that my dream will be fulfilled.
Rashmi Arora,
AD Block
There is a lack of awareness regarding organ donation in Bengal. Many of my friends and colleagues want to donate organs but do not know how. The government, NGOs and hospitals should publicise the practice in newspapers and on TV as well as arrange road shows in housing complexes and busy areas to disseminate information.
Ayan Choudhury,
Greenwood Park, New Town
There are several reasons why organ donation has failed to take off in Bengal. Firstly, there is no awareness. When eminent personalities like Jyoti Basu, Sushma Swaraj and Aishwarya Rai get involved with the activity, it raises some curiosity but the practice needs to be publicised.
Secondly, there are superstitions about parting with the organs. And finally, the authorities and NGOs are not proactive in responding to an interested person’s queries.
I shall share my own experience of trying to contact Ganadarpan, the organ donation group. I have called them up repeatedly but got no reply. I even wrote to them but again got no response. Finally, I have downloaded a form from the website and have a mind to go personally to their office and submit it. Or, as suggested in the article, I shall get in touch with the stem cell donation group Datri at EC 107. My eyes too have been pledged at Susrut Eye Foundation & Research Centre.
P.B. Saha,
Labony Estate
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