The Ukhrul Forest Division has unleashed an aggressive, district-wide ecological campaign to kick off the week-long 77th Vana Mahotsava festival, aiming to plant a staggering 210,000 saplings across the District. Building on the momentum of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative which recently added 247,000 seedlings to the district. This massive mobilization represents the next step in the region’s green campaign.
Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul, Uppuluri Chaitanya (IAS), stated that “Mahotsav week is the festival of tree plantation. I am very happy to be part of this programme in Ukhrul. And this is not just an event of planting of the samplings but it is also our promise to nature that we are part of nature and we will protect it throughout our lives. So that in return we will get all the benefits nature can give us. So, I wish everyone would take part in this and let us nurture the trees planted with the promise that when we come back here next year, all the trees will be growing.”
Superintendent of Police Abhinav (IPS) stated that ‘First of all, I really appreciate the organisers. In this monsoon rain, everyone present here with our little stars without umbrella. So basically, environmental security is also in the ambit of larger security forces human life. Trees are our future, they are an ecosystem in themselves; they are self-sustaining. And they are necessary for our future. They have been conserved by our forefathers and it is our duty to keep it like this. It should not be just a programme but it must be in continuation. Every now and then, we should plant trees, give them timely care. Let this initiative encourage our leaders, our little stars, everyone present here as a continuous practice.”
Divisional Forest Officer Laishram Gitla, IFS, stated that the initiative is a long-term effort to restore degraded landscapes, conserve water, and build climate resilience through active community participation.
The flagship launch took place at Sacred Heart High School, where Deputy Commissioner Uppuluri Chaitanya (IAS), Superintendent of Police Abhinav (IPS), Divisional Forest Officer Laishram Gitla (IFS), ADC CEO David Kashungnao (MCS), SDO Chingai Roland Ningshen (MCS), SDO Jessami Duna Duo (MCS), ZEO Sunita Jajo and other DLOs teamed up with the Tungrei Youth Organisation, Headmistress Sr. Mariet SABS, and local students to transform the campus into a primary planting zone.
Concurrently, a vital community-driven parallel drive rolled out at Shokvao – a village adopted under the COSFOM (Community-based Sustainable Forest Management for Water Resources) project. Sanajaoba Khuraijam (IFS), Conservator & Chief Operating Officer of COSFOM joined Village Headman Reimi Makang, the local Water Resource Conservation Group, and NGOs ASOC and ENFOGAL to inspect new afforestation sites and rural infrastructure. A major tech highlight of the Shokvao event was the installation of camera trap inside the Forest Closure Area.
DFO Gitla announced that this wildlife-monitoring tech will soon expand across all 23 COSFOM project villages to secure habitats and track biodiversity.
At the same time, the reforestation drive expanded across multiple ranges in the district. Local villagers, students, and school staff united with forest personnel for massive community planting events across several locations, including Awang Kasom, Khalhang Khullen, the Jessami Range, and Wahong Village.
Looking ahead, the district’s initial planting outreach will be significantly expanded through an ongoing, widespread free-distribution pipeline. By delivering saplings directly to homesteads and community lands, the initiative aims to permanently increase Ukhrul’s total canopy cover.
