Minister Dulu launches palm seed planting in Lalmonirhat

LALMONIRHAT, Oct 22: Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, MP, on Thursday launched a campaign to plant more than 1 lakh palm seeds across the district, aiming to promote environmental conservation, reduce lightning risks and expand green cover.

The campaign, organised by the Sabuj Seba Jubo Biggan Sangha, was inaugurated at DC Park near Chandni Bazar in Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila, where Dulu planted a seed himself. The initiative is being implemented simultaneously across the district’s five upazilas under the slogan, “Building a clean environment, making the Earth green.”

Speaking at the inauguration, Dulu said Bangladesh is among the countries most severely affected by climate change, which is creating new hazards alongside existing natural disasters. “Lightning strikes and related fatalities have increased in recent years,” he said.

He noted that cyclones and tidal surges once caused widespread loss of life, but government measures had significantly reduced fatalities from those disasters. Climate-driven changes in the country’s weather patterns, however, are creating new challenges, he added.

Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Rashedul Haque Pradhan chaired the event. District Superintendent of Police Md Asaduzzaman, the organisation’s founder Md Khairul Islam, other local officials, educators, journalists and more than 100 volunteers also attended.

Organisers said the group has long worked to protect the environment and increase green cover. It previously planted about 40,000 palm seeds along both sides of the railway line between Teesta and Burimari in Lalmonirhat. The organisation also conducts tree-planting drives at educational institutions and holds environmental awareness seminars.

The latest campaign aims to raise public awareness about environmental protection and help create a greener, more liveable environment for future generations.