Amitabh Bachchan to help spread the word on forest programmes

Forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Saturday appealed to the brand ambassador of tiger conservation in the state, Amitabh Bachchan, to help create awareness about numerous forest conservation programmes underway in the state.

In a meeting held on Saturday to discuss tiger conservation efforts, Mr Bachchan not only praised the attempts of the state to plant two crore trees in a day but also said that he would accompany the forest minister across the state to spread the word about green army initiative that intends to employ about 10 million youngsters to conserve forests across Maharashtra.

While praising the state’s two-crore tree plantation programme, the veteran actor also pointed out that the regional forest officers who play an important role towards the conservation of forests and tigers need to be rewarded to boost their morale. He also requested the officials to rehabilitate the project affected people of tiger conservation projects. “Mr Bachchan has appealed for spread of adequate awareness about tiger poaching and the gravity of punishment that the crime attracts,” an official present at the meeting said.

According to sources, Mr Bachchan has not only promised to attend the Tadoba Mahostav taking place between November 11 and 13 in Mumbai but also visit important cities of the state to create awareness about the green army initiative.

Providing an update on the tiger conservation programme, Mr Mungantiwar said that around 20 new vehicles and weapons have been distributed to the forest officers and about 4,000 motorcycles would be distributed soon. “In past two years, not a single case of tiger poaching has taken place in the state which is a result of stringent punishments awarded for the crime. Also, project-affected people are responding positively to the tiger conservation programmes,” said Mr Mungantiwar.