ATTABIRA (BARGARH): A Hindi teacher by profession at Babebira High School in Attabira block of the district, Amrut Kumar Barik (38) of Babebira village is better known among locals as a green crusader.
He has been creating awareness among the villagers about importance of trees and encouraging them to plant as many of them as possible. He distributes saplings of fruit bearing trees to the hosts of any social function he is invited to. Whether sacred thread ceremony, birthday party, ‘annaprasan’, marriage or death related gathering, he can be found distributing saplings. Locals say a substantial number of trees in Babebira is the result of his initiative.
Taking inspiration from a sapling distribution programme organised by the Forest Department in the village in 1995, Barik took up the cause and since then has never looked back.
A recipient of ‘Prakruti Bandhu’ award of the Forest and Environment Department, Barik has also formed an eco-club in his school to carry on his environmental mission. Attributing climate change and global warming to depleting green cover, Barik said he hopes to make his campaign a mass movement one day.