ICZMP & Digha Beach Festival, 2014

Digha is now one of the prime tourist destinations of West Bengal. Govt. of West Bengal each year organizes Digha Beach Festival, to promote tourism related activities in an around Digha area.

This year ICZM Project too made its presence felt in the Digha Beach Festival.

The opening session of this Festival was graced by the important dignitaries of the State namely

1) Sri Subhendu Adhikary, Hon'ble MP, Haldia & Chairman, HDA

2) Sri Soumen Mahapatra, Hon'ble MIC, Water Investigation and Development, Govt. of West Bengal

3) Sri Ranajit Mondal, Hon'ble MLA, Khejuri

4) Smt. Banashree Maity, Hon'ble MLA, Kanthi Uttar

5) Sri Ajit Ranjan Bardhan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism Department, WB

6) Shri Bhishmadeb Dasgupta , Managing Director, WBTDCL, WB

7) Smt. Antara Achariya, DM, Purba Medinipur

8) Sri Soumen Pal, Executive Officer, DSDA

9) Sri Tomojeet Chakraboty, BDO, Ramnagar - I

10) Sri Pritam Saha, BDO, Ramnagr - II

11) Miss Madhurima Mondal, Sobhadhipoti, Purba Medinipur Zilla Parishad

12) Sri Debobrata Das, Karmadhakshya, Fishery & Forest

13) Sri Netai Sar, Shabhapoti, Ramnagar - I Block

One of the main attractions of the festival was the beautiful Sand-Art work of Sudarshan Pattanayak created along the beach. Several sporting events were also organized with the aid of Bengal Olympic Association. The evening session of the Beach Festival were garnished with musical and dance performances of different artists of repute.

This year ICZM project launched awareness campaign in Digha Beach Festival 2014.The mass awareness campaign has the following important ingredients/features.

1.    Performances of the “Ronpa” (traditional Bengali folk dance) group along the shoreline of Digha.

2.    Slogan Contest, hinges around the pressing coastal issues.

3.    Computer mediated quiz contest

4.    Performances of “Potua” group – (scroll painters and singers). The focal theme of the scroll paintings and songs revolve around the importance of afforestation and also negating the usage of plastics from our daily life.

It is to be noted that ICZMP’s innovative approach to connect to the local populace has been appreciated from different sections. The need of the hour is to sustain this momentum, so that the messages of eco-friendly sustainable development for the sake of coastal well-being can be actualized within a legitimate time frame.

                             Exposure Visit to Gujarat

India ICZM Project’s one of the cardinal features is to achieve the formation of some kind of knowledge-base and benchmarks about the various the parameters pertaining to the coast which can be integrated into the ICZM Plan. In this regard India ICZM Project has provisions for conducting study tours and exposure visits for its stakeholders both within and outside the national boundaries of India.

West Bengal-SPMU has recently organized an exposure visit to the state of Gujarat where also India ICZM project is being implemented in full swing. A team of 8 members visited Gujarat from 5^th- 9^th,  March, 2014. The members of the delegation comprises of

 (1)Ms. Indrani Saha, Joint Secretary, Urban Development Department),

(2)Mr. Saibal Thakurata, Chief Town Planner, Urban Development Department

(3)Mr. Satyajit Pan, Executive Engineer, PHED

(4)Mr.Swapan Mondal, Asst. Engineer, PHED

(5) Mr.Amlan Jyoti Saha, Asst. Director, Tourism Dept

(6)Mr. Md. Samimul Alam, Asst. Secretary, Tourism Dept

(7)Mr. Niltaratan Mitra, Programme Assistant, SPMU, West Bengal

(8)Mr. Debojoyti Poddar, Project Assistant (Accounts), SPMU, WB.

After reaching Ahmedabad on 5^th March, 2014 the visiting team was briefed by the counterparts of SPMU, Gujarat about the set of activities implemented in the state of Gujarat under India ICZM Project. The presentation of Gujarat, SPMU, highlighted the challenges that they have faced during the implementation of different project components together with the successes that have been achieved till now.

 The team headed towards Jamnagar on 6^th march 2014. Jamnagar happens to be one of the key intervention areas where India ICZM Project had already made its indelible footprint in Gujarat. The visiting team had interactions with an interaction at MNP office with DCF, MNP and ACF, MNP and other Marine National Park officials about their experiences in the management of the Marine National Park (MNP). The team also had the opportunity to meet representatives from Jamnagar Municipal Corporation to make themselves acquainted themselves with the on-going civil work of the sewerage network, along with the sewerage  pumping station and sewerage treatment  plant. Later in the day the team had visited different sites where the physical work pertaining to the sewage network system is being carried-out or had been completed.

 On 7^th March, 2014 the team visited Narara Island (about 65 KM from Jamnagar for doing the Coral Walk), which comes under the jurisdiction of Marine National Park. A huge variety of marine life e.g. crabs, jelly fish, star fish, hard and soft corals, molluscan shells, sea anemones, puffer fish, sea horse, octopus, huge green sea turtles, lobsters, pearl oysters, bivalves, dolphins and dugong can be seen in this area. Coral restoration and regeneration is being carried out in Narara under India ICZM Project. MNP officials brief the team about the important of this sensitive eco-system. The team observed the plethora of marine flora and fauna that thrives in the park. The main point of attraction over here is viewing of the live corals of different shades and hues.

On 8^th March the team visited the sea-turtle hatching center  in Okha Madhi near Dwarka, which is also being managed by MNP in the capacity of a PEA under SPMU, Gujarat. The objective of this component is to promote the breeding & preserving of this threatened marine species. The team had also visited Marine Interpretation Center at Nagesh Garden near Nageshwar Temple. It is developed by MNP for bringing awareness about marine lives. The team has also the opportunity to visit Kharaberaj Village on to observe extent of work being done with respect to sanitation. This village has achieved 100% sanitation courtesy  ICZM Project. The team has  also interacted with the CBO president and other members along with field staffs.

The team departed from Ahmedabad on 9^th March 2014 for Kolkata, with an everlasting memory of how to assimilate and integrate natural resources for sustainable development. 

 

Mass Awareness Campaign in Gangasagar Mela

Kapil Muni Temple

Gangasagar Mela is one of the mega religious congregations in India that happen every year in Sagar Island, located in the state of West Bengal. Government of West Bengal plays a cardinal role in the successful fructification of the Gangasagar Mela each year where teeming millions assemble in banks of “Gangasagar” especially on Makarsankranti ( 14^th January, 2014) to attain divine salvation.

Mass awareness campaign with members of NGOs and CBOs

It can be stated that despite the best of the services rendered by district administration in close coordination with the aid of the NGOs but more to be done from the perspective of coastal environment while keeping in mind the behavioural dynamics of the multitude that gathers from the remotest corners of the country in and around the Gangasagar Mela ground.

Colourful display of the RON-PA group in the Mela ground

Sagar Island is one of the core intervention areas under ICZM Project. Hence it was decided to launch an effective mass awareness campaign in the precincts of Gangasagar Mela which will be populated with people of different shades and hues. The mass awareness campaign was formally launched with the speech of Sri Bankim Hazra, Honourable MLA, Sagar and Chairman Sundarban Development Board on 14th January, 2014.

The central theme of the mass awareness campaign was to spread the message of pollution free coastal environment. State Project Management Unit of the ICZM Project coordinated with its partner NGOs and its CBOs to spearhead the mass awareness campaign in every nook and crannies of the Mela ground.

 

The mass awareness campaign got the requisite stimulus with the integration of the performances of the RON-PA (folk dance) group attired with several messages on hygiene and sanitation. Wherever the RON-PA permeates through the muddy and brick roads inside the Mela ground people zooms in with loud applause and inquisitiveness. Members of the partner NGOs and its CBOs too crisscross the Mela ground with the RON-PA group. Banners were displayed; leaflets were distributed together with the mesmerizing performances of the RON-PA group that enthralled the public at large. It can be claimed without an iota of doubt that ICZM Project had able to create an indelible mark in the minds of the people through this new innovative approach of reaching out to its target audience.