Date:20/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/20/stories/2008072058140300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

25,000 saplings to be planted

P. Oppili

— Photo: Special Arrangement

expanding green cover: N. Sundaradevan, Secretary, Environment and Forests, planting a sapling at Velachery on Saturday.

CHENNAI: The State Forest Department will plant 25,000 saplings in Chennai and its suburbs this year as part of the ‘Urban Tree Planting programme’.

Last year, the authorities planted 45,000 saplings in the city and its suburbs.

Talking about the greening programme, a senior officer said the department roped in local residents, resident welfare associations and non-governmental organisations last year. They volunteered to maintain, protect and nurture the planted saplings. Due to this, the department achieved nearly 80 per cent success in the programme, despite inadequate rainfall, the officer claimed.

A team of officials, including N. Sundaradevan, Secretary, Environment and Forests, C.K. Sreedharan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Tamil Nadu, V.Prabakaran, Conservator of Forests, Chennai Circle, inspected the department’s nursery at Velachery on Sunday. The department has kept 18,500 saplings ready in its Velachery nursery and 9,200 in its Anna Nagar nursery. The planting work would begin in mid-August and it would get over by the end of November. The authorities were keeping an additional of 10 per cent of saplings to replace the casualties, the officer said.

Later, the officials visited the residential areas such as Velachery, Guindy, Ayanavaram and Anna Nagar to identify places for taking up the greening programme, the officer said. During the visit, the officials interacted with some of the residents who were involved in watering and protection of saplings for the last one year. Resident Welfare Associations, non-governmental organisations or private individuals interested in taking up planting of saplings, providing maintenance, care and protection to them could contact the Office of the Conservator of Forests, Chennai Circle on telephone number: 044-24321139 on all working days, the officer said.