Ukhrul: Around 500 saplings of different varieties were planted at Vangayan, Manipur’s Shirui Lily Festival site in Ukhrul district as part of the 74th Van Mahotsav on Monday.
Organised by Ukhrul Forest Division in collaboration with Shirui village, the week-long festival of forests was celebrated with the theme ‘Each One, Plant One, Stop the Chop’.
According to official sources, saplings like Leihao, Talhao, Pine, Cherry and Bougainvillea were planted in Shirui Peak, the third highest peak in Manipur. Located at an altitude of 2,835 m above the sea level, the peak is home to the endangered Shirui Lily or Kashongwon, the state flower of Manipur.
The Van Mahotsav 2023 event was inaugurated by Ukhrul AC MLA Ram Muivah in the presence of Ukhrul deputy commissioner Zuringla Kengoo, district forest officer, Ukhrul Shaingam Shaliwo and additional SP Ringthing Hongchui, among others. Locals of Shirui village also participated the tree plantation despite bad weather.
Speaking to the media, MLA Ram Muivah said that the mass plantation drive was carried out at Shirui peak with around 150 people, including the villagers, as part of the Van Mahotsav event.
“It is a significant day and also a significant place because Shirui Kashong or Shirui Peak has been part of the folklore, traditions and heritage of Manipur. And all the folktales, legends and the myths of the Tangkhul community are associated with the Shirui Peak,” he added.
Shirui Peak or Shirui Kashong is one of the few alpine forests in Manipur. The other alpine forests in the state include Phangrei, Harva Khangai and Pushing forest, he stated.
Recalling how forest resources, including water, were abundantly found everywhere in the past days, the legislator complained that now small streams and canals have dried out due to deforestation.
DFO Shaingam Shaliwo stressed that people gathered at the event for the future of the earth.
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As part of the programme, a roadside plantation from Dungrei Junction to Town Hall is also scheduled for Tuesday.
Van Mahotsav, celebrated in the first week of July, is an annual one-week-long tree planting festival observed across the country.
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