Ecological conservation initiatives by Black Cat Division

GANGTOK, 25 May: Black Cat Division organised an afforestation drive today at Tsomgo in East Sikkim. The drive was carried out in consultation with State Forest Department and State Environment & Soil Conservation Department, informs a press release.
Tsomgo is currently devoid of any forest cover which results in frequent landslides due to soil erosion. Plantation of trees having high altitude survival capability was found out to be the only option to prevent this soil erosion, the release mentions.
Hence a pilot project was initiated in which over 250 Rhododendron saplings were planted over an area of fifty acres. The Black Cat Division also has further plans to initiate more projects in other areas as well, it is added.
Black Cat Division is also undertaking a project of cleaning and desilting famous lakes of East Sikkim,
The project will cover Tsomgo, Manju and Bitang Chu which have suffered considerable deterioration over a period of time, resulting in substantial deposition of silt and garbage.
The army is supported by Tsomgo Pokhran Sangrakshan Samiti in this venture, the release informs. The task of manually cleaning Tsomgo and Bitang Chu started on 23 May. The work will continue for a week during which the Black Cat troops will also reach out to locals, tourists and taxi operators to spread the message of preservation and upkeep of these water bodies.