As the landslide-hit hills of North Bengal are slowly recovering, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sparked a major controversy with her latest order directing the Forest Department to plant mangroves and vetiver grass along riverbanks in the hilly regions to prevent future disasters.
While Mamata’s proposal aims to “protect nature with nature,” the opposition and environmental experts have dismissed the plan as scientifically unsound, arguing that mangroves cannot grow in freshwater hill regions.
During a recent administrative meeting in Darjeeling, the Chief Minister instructed Forest Department secretary Debal Roy to begin plantation drives within the next three months. Visiting the disaster-affected areas earlier, she said that concrete embankments were no longer a sustainable solution.
“Concrete will not work anymore. We have to protect nature with nature. Mangroves and vetivers should be cultivated in areas adjacent to rivers. They are stronger than concrete. I am not willing to spend money on erosion anymore,” Mamata declared.
The Chief Minister argued that the initiative could help stabilise riverbanks and reduce landslide risks in North Bengal, adding, “Why can’t mangroves and vetivers be planted in the affected areas of the hills? Concrete breaks down in six months, but planting trees is far more durable.”
The Chief Minister’s remarks drew sharp criticism from the opposition.
Union Minister of State and botany professor Sukanta Majumdar lashed out at her, calling the suggestion “foolish” and “unscientific.”
“The Chief Minister is talking like a fool. There is no such soil in North Bengal where mangroves can grow. She wants to rewrite geography, botany and economics,” Majumdar said.
Several opposition leaders and environmental groups have also questioned whether Mamata’s plan was based on expert consultation, warning that hasty, ill-suited plantation drives could waste public resources.
Botanists have supported the opposition’s skepticism. Experts note that mangroves grow only in saline or brackish water, like those found in the Sundarbans delta, not in freshwater hill rivers.
Professor Manoranjan Chowdhury, from the Department of Botany at the University of North Bengal, explained, “There is no way to plant mangroves in this region. Mangroves grow in salty soil and all our rivers are freshwater. However, vetiver grass can be planted. It has deep roots and can help reduce landslide risks to some extent.”
Sources in the North Bengal Forest Department have admitted that they are uncertain about implementing the Chief Minister’s directive.
One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We will see what the Chief Minister says. We will first assess where it is even possible to do this. Then the rest of the steps will be taken.”
Officials also revealed that the government’s order was linked to the damage of over 1,000 river embankments in North Bengal, which the Chief Minister hopes to reinforce through vegetation rather than concrete.
Also read: Mamata flags ‘outsiders’ issue in Bhawanipur constituency
Follow us
