Residents of Nongtrai village in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district, have planted a sapling in keeping with the "one citizen one tree" initiative of state Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
About 300 saplings, each tagged with the name of the head of each of the family here, were planted in the community forest here and the proper growth of a plant is the responsibility of the owner.
The plantation drive at the village was an initiative of a major cement company as part of its CSR activities and another 700 saplings were planted by the officials of the company.
"This is the first time that I have planted a tree and taken a pledge to take care of it. I hope it grows big someday and I will be proud of it," Sona Lyngdoh, an elderly woman in the village, told PTI.
Although the village has many trees, the villagers have taken special interest in the Khasi Mandarin species of oranges and the people had planted about 25,000 saplings of it four years ago.
The trees are expected to be laden with fruits in about 2 to 3 years, she said.
Some of the exotic varieties of teak and other trees were also planted along the roadside of the village to make it more vibrant and welcoming.
Another village elder O Galong said the initiative is welcome as it involves responsibility.
When one undertakes a tour at the village, guava and other fruit trees are seen beside almost every house.
A forest department official said the "one citizen one tree" was officially launched by the chief minister on June 5.
The cement company, Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited' operations director N Sharma said the initiative was undertaken to further reduce the carbon footprints at the village in line with the firm's 2030 sustainable goals to protect and enhance biodiversity.
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