The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Vellore News : In Vellore, a greening of the hills

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Vellore

In Vellore, a greening of the hills

By P.V.V. Murthi

VELLORE, DEC. 13 . Vellore is known for the hottest summer temperatures in Tamil Nadu. The townspeople know it only too well - few venture out during the summer months.

The intense heat is attributed to the radiation from the surrounding hills. If so, can greening of the hills reduce the temperature?

Yes, says G. Viswanathan, Chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology, and C. Srinivasan, president, Exnora Green Cross (EGC), Vellore.

The EGC and the VIT are eager to transform the town's climate by providing a green cover to the hills, with the support of the Forest Department and the district administration - and the wherewithal to do it is also available.

A trek on Saturday to the 1900-foot-high hills adjoining Sathuvachari and Saidapet, led by the Collector, S. Gopalakrishnan, accompanied by officials and representatives of non-government organisations, revealed the presence of age-old rainwater storage tanks. The EGC has recently desilted some of them.

Also, thanks to the efforts of the Forest Department, under the leadership of the District Forest Officer, Ajay Singh Panwar, trees have been grown in the interior parts of the hills, in the reserve forest area.

The main problems faced by those involved in greening the hills are the grazing by cattle and the locals setting fire to the `manjam pul' (lemon grass) stubs, resulting in the destruction of well-grown trees.

To tackle this problem, the EGC has set up the Indian Green Force (IGF) — a dedicated group of volunteers, who trek up the hills daily to guard the trees. A total of 22 volunteers, including two employees of the Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF), go to the hills by turns.

Fourteen of the volunteers are looking after the Gajrao hills, Sajrao hills and the Kalamburankottai (they are paid Rs.50 a day by the Association for India's Development (AID), a U.S.-based non-governmental organisation), six work on the Kailasagiri hills at Malaikkodi near Ariyoor, and are paid by the Sri Narayani Peedam, Thriumalaikkodi.

Thanks to the monitoring by these volunteers, the trees planted by the Forest Department are intact. Mr. Srinivasan says the EGC plans to permanently station the IGF volunteers on the hills from February to May, to prevent lemon grass being set ablaze. The EGC is now collecting seeds from the hills, to raise nurseries there.

Twenty NTTF trainees are now desilting the tank located between the two hills.

Syed Basheer Ahmed, manager (training), NTTF, says all the 265 trainees are engaged in the task by turns. The NTTF will organise a 10-day camp in January to undertake the desilting.

Sekar, one of the IGF volunteers from the NTTF, says the people should be made to realise that the retention of rainwater on the hills will help recharge the groundwater aquifers in the plains.

Another fact that emerged during the visit was that the 17th century forts on the Gajrao and Sajrao hills required protection from vandals.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan said the district administration would propose to the Centre that it declare the forts a protected monument and bring them under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Efforts would be made to promote tourism by providing telescopes to view Vellore town and other landmarks from the hills. He also discussed the steps to be taken with Thirumoorthy, Archaeologist, ASI, Chennai Circle, and C. Balaraman, Senior Conservation Assistant, ASI, Vellore.

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In Vellore, a greening of the hills