Midnapore, April 21 -- With the world set to observe Earth Day on Wednesday, the eve of the Assembly elections in West Bengal's Junglemahal, spotlighting the urgency of climate action and sustainable future, the region's mounting ecological distress has remained conspicuously absent from the political narrative.
While recent research by scholars from Raja Narendralal Khan Women's College paints a troubling picture in Junglemahal (large forested stretches in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia and Jhargram districts - marked by forest loss, human-wildlife conflict, and shrinking livelihoods in the region - the indifference of the political parties to the issue has raised concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of both environment and e...