The Hindu 26.09.2013
Meeting on planting 10 lakh saplings held
A consultative meeting on planting 10 lakh saplings across the district as part of ‘Green Tirunelveli’ campaign, initiated by Collector C. Samayamoorthy, was held here on Wednesday.
The Collector has identified the Agriculture, Horticulture and Forest Departments for planting saplings on the premises of all government offices and official quarters, along roads and on the banks of 921 systemised and 1,528 non-systemised tanks across the district.
The Forest Department, while planting and maintaining 1.28 lakh saplings, will distribute 11,000 saplings to the public.
The Agriculture Department will get the saplings from its nursery at Tenkasi and also from private suppliers.
The officials have been instructed to procure and supply one-year-old saplings to the public so that they will withstand the adverse climatic conditions to some extent.
The Tirunelveli Corporation has been given the responsibility of planting and maintaining 5,000 saplings.
Each town panchayat will have to grow 500 saplings and each government office premises will have a minimum of 50 saplings.
Even primary health centres and government hospitals have been asked to provide ‘green cover’ to their campuses.
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions will grow over 50,000 saplings on the premises.
Heads of government departments have been entrusted with the task of reviewing the maintenance and growth of saplings, which will have metal guards.
Schools and colleges which do not have compound walls will be given plants which are not grazed by cattle.
The office premises will have fruit-bearing trees like mango, jamun, etc.
The officials have been told to rope in the labourers hired under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, to water the plants, particularly during the summer, and on holidays in the case of the educational institutions.
Voluntary organisations like Lions and Rotary Clubs, local bodies and their representatives, NCC cadets, NSS volunteers and members of the National Green Corps will also participate in the campaign.
