Centre to release 80 crore to tackle bamboo flowering in NE

Aizawl, Sep 27 (UNI) The Centre has approved Rs 80 crore to tackle the rat menace caused due to massive bamboo flowering in Mizoram and and North East states.

The Forest and Environment Ministry is expected to soon release the first installment of Rs 20 crore to the NE region.

Of the total, Mizoram would get Rs 23 crore, Tripura (Rs 21 crore), Asom (Rs 13 crore), Manipur (Rs 9.9 crore), Nagaland (Rs 8.0 crore), Meghalaya (Rs 6.8 crore) and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 1.5 crore), official sources informed here today.

Besides, an action plan of Rs 366 crore has been prepared by the steering committee of the Environment and Forests Ministry with state representatives and other departments to tackle situations arising out of gregarious bamboo flowering.

Under the plan, respective state forest departments have been asked to specify the areas likely to be affected and initiate species-wise survey like mapping of bamboo areas, prepare marketing plans, targeting paper mills in the country and transportation of bamboos.

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