'Turn Nil Sagar into a sanctuary of birds'

State Minister for Education and Minister-in-Charge of Nilphamari district ANM Ehsanul Huq Milon told this while visiting the Nil Sagar area on Sunday afternoon.

During his visit to the area he also directed the district administration to take special measures to plant saplings of bird-friendly trees there. His entourage included the secratary general of EAB (Engineers' Association of Bangladesh) Shahrin Islam Tuhin.

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The state minister expressed his displeasure when he saw that many old trees were already vanished. Local journalists who were accompanying him to Nil Sagar made him aware that the site developers ignored the environmental aspects of the attractive spot since the beginning of the project work in early 2001. As a result it could not be turned into a sanctuary of birds.

'They cut down all the century-old fruit- bearing trees of local variety' said a newsman. 'At present there is no mother tree which caused sharp decrease in birds who used to make nests on mother trees. Moreover, mother trees supplied birds' food round the year, but now the birds face acute scarcity of food in Nil Sagar area,' the newsman further informed the state minister.

When the state minister walked round the area he found there many new trees of foreign origin where birds usually do not sit or make nests. Moreover, age of the trees ranged between five to 15 years old.

The state minister at once directed the officials concerned to create a friendly environment for birds by planting saplings of lacal varieties of trees in greater number which will help make the spot into a sanctuary of birds.

He also recalled that in 1978 Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman at first took the initiative to make Nil Sagar into an attractive tourist spot.