City Desk :
Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina on Saturday called upon the countrymen to make a “Green Bangladesh” by planting trees in large numbers.
“We have to plant trees as much as we can across the country to make a “Green Bangladesh,” she said while inaugurating the three-month long tree plantation programme of Bangladesh Krishak League (BKL) at a function at her official residence Ganabhaban here, reports BSS.
At the function, the Prime Minister also awarded several BKL leaders for their contribution in pursuing the nationwide tree plantation campaign of the Awami League and distributed saplings among them.
The Prime Minister asked the leaders and activists to play a vital role in turning the country into “Green Bangladesh”.
She called upon the BKL leaders to plant saplings on the embankments of rivers, costal belts, roadside, on rooftop and houses to take the ‘Green movement’ forward.
The Prime Minister planted three saplings of trees at the Ganabhaban marking the programme.
“I have planted over 2000 trees in Ganabhaban since I assumed power,” she mentioned.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is an agriculture-based country and its economy depends on agriculture.
“We will go for industrialisation after developing the agriculture sector but not bypassing it,” she said.
But, she alerted all not to destroy arable lands while developing industries in a scattered way.
“By no means, the crop lands should not be destroyed in the name of industrialization,” she said.
Huge developments and urbanisation are being carried out across the country, she said.
BKL President Samir Chanda and Acting General Secretary Bishwanath Sarker Bitu, spoke on the occasion.
Joint General Secretary of the BKL Shamima Shahriar moderated the function.
Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for planned industrialisation, saying her government is building 100 economic zones across the country aimed at protecting the arable lands from unplanned industrialisation.
The Awami League chief said they have been carrying out the tree plantation programme since 1985 following the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to protect Bangladesh from the adverse impacts of climate change.
BNP is a party which believes in felling down trees, she said, adding that Ziaur Rahman cut trees in the name of so-called development while his wife did the same thing in the name of anti-government movement in 2013.
This year, the Krishak League alone has set a target to plant 52 lakh saplings of trees across the country in their three-month long programme.