Port Blair, Feb 18: The family of late Mr. Samir Acharya presented the Third “Samir Acharya memorial award for conservation of coastal and island ecosystems” today.
The award was presented by Mrs. Geetanjali Acharya to Ms. Garima Poonia. The award was given in the presence of Mr. Farookh Alam, Mr.. Meherzaad, Mrs. Susan, and Mrs. Pushpanjali Raju.
Mr. Samir Acharya was a renowned environmentalist and dedicated his entire life to the islands. He was instrumental in the Supreme Court order of 2002 on the ban of sea sand mining, ban of deforestation and ban on influx of non islanders.
He was awarded the Earth Hero title for his fight to protect the indigenous communities and one of his greatest achievements was the ban on introduction of exotic fish species to the islands.
Garima Poonia, is popular for her NGO Kachrewale. She lives in Neil Island for the last few years, although she is from Rajasthan. She works tirelessly to keep the oceans clean and free of plastics and garbage. She was chosen for the award as though she is a non islander, yet her heart beats for the islands and she has left her family back in the mainland to be here to just keep our islands and ocean clean.
The ceremony was conducted by Samhita Veda Acharya, daughter of late Mr. Samir Acharya and Denis Giles who considers Mr. Acharya as a mentor.
