Statesman News Service MALDA, Aug. 28: Hundreds of villagers cultivating the jetropha plants on the Narayanpur char lands of the Manikchak block here, are forming self-help groups because they lack sufficient funds to nourish these plants. It was learnt that the Malda district administration officials attended a meeting organised by the then Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner here a few years back to encourage poor villagers to cultivate jetropha plants, so that they could later be used as bio-diesel in vehicles and thus, help save fuel. In the meeting, the villagers were instructed to cultivate Jatropha in lands lying unused. Based on this idea, the district and block administration officials took initiative to cultivate jetropha plants on the Narayanpur char lands. The administration selected about 140 acres of land for jetropha cultivation and 50 self-help groups were engaged to execute this task. The district administration then provided villagers initial expenses and samplings, but at present, the project is allegedly lying in a neglected state. Block development officer, Mr Sandeep Nag, said: “We will extend necessary help to the villagers to grow jetropha plants after the Lok Sabha by-poll here. We have some funds that was allotted for the nourishment of jetropha plant”.
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