PIX: Debasish Kumar, member, mayor-in-council(parks and garden) planting lemon grass. Dr Shantanu Bhattacharya(left) from BRWS and Debasis kumar(middle) sharing the dais during inaugural programme.
KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has planted lemon grass in the bank of Tolly’s Nullah to stop breeding of the mosquito in the canal.
Debasish Kumar, member, mayor-in-council(parks and garden) said the KMC will plant more lemon grass to counter mosquito attack and the civic authorities will buy from the tribal people of Belphari, who are cultivating this grass in several villages.
Dr Shantanu Bhattacharya, from Bengal Rural Welfare Society (BRWS) said that the grass not only fight against mosquito its leaves is helpful to reduce blood pressure and headache. “The lemon grass also destroys acidity and it is also a useful medicine. We supplied lemon grass to KMC free of cost aiming that the civic authorities will create awareness among people regarding the medicinal quality of this plant,” said Dr Bhattacharya.
A group of farmers of Belphari in West Midnapore district, associated with the lemon grass cultivation programme planted the grass along with KMC workers on the sides of the canal at Baisnabghata.
Pradip Saraswati from BRWS said the farmers of Belphari, Kankrajhore, Machkana, Balichua, Basuldia, Dhuliapur, Bandri and Bansphari areas depend on this particular cultivation. “If government took up a project to help them then this grass will bring revenue and it will be an earning source of the people of Junglemahal, Saraswati said.
He also said the people of Belphari, are making a cake with the lemon grass that could be use as mosquito repellant. “If anybody burns the cake inside a room then it will drive mosquito for few hours and it has no harmful effect like other mosquito repellant,” Saraswati said.
