Jorhat: The Jorhat district administration has tied up with Assam Agricultural University (AAU) here to make bio-fertiliser from the banana trees that will be used for decorations during Diwali celebrations.
Banana trees are put up in front of houses and shops as part of decorations on the entrances during the festival of lights.
Nearly four years ago, after Diwali celebrations, an NGO in the district had collected some banana trees from the garbage.
The NGO had then given the collected plants to a self-help group involved in developing organic manure.
However, many plants had gone waste that time, as there was no provision to reuse all the plants.
Attempts by another NGO to use the plants as feed for wild elephants of Hoollongapar gibbon sanctuary in the district did not materialise. The elephants did not eat the plants, as those were not fresh and smelt of burnt crackers.
Jorhat deputy commissioner Solanki Vishal Vasant told The Telegraph today that huge quantities of banana trees were cut down for one or two days of Diwali celebrations. These go waste and are dumped as garbage.
Solanki said this time the administration had approached the university authorities, as it has proper infrastructure.
It has been producing vermi-compost on a regular basis for distribution to farmers across Assam through its huge network of Krishi Vigyan Kendras.
The deputy commissioner said all civic bodies of the district would clean and collect garbage early on Thursday morning and take the banana plants to the university’s main campus here.
The university’s vice-chancellor, Kamal Malla Bujarbaruah, while welcoming the initiative of the district administration, said large quantities of organic fertiliser could be prepared from the banana plants.
Bujarbaruah said the vermi-compost prepared from the plants would be given to the Krishi Vigyan Kendras of the university for distribution to farmers.
The vice-chancellor said the university would accept banana plants from neighbouring districts if such an initiative were taken up.
Golaghat deputy commissioner Anowarul Haque said the district administration has been approached by several tea gardens and NGOs for reuse of the banana plants used during Diwali.
When told of the Jorhat-AAU initiative, Haque said the district administration would get in touch with the university authorities in this regard.
According to the directive of the government, the administration here has been asking people through announcements over loudspeakers to celebrate the festival with safety and utmost care.