Tamil Nadu - Dindigul   

District Forest Office to adopt 31 villages

Staff Reporter

State Government sanctions Rs.93 lakh for the project in Dindigul and Kodaikanal

GREENING VILLAGES: District Forest Officer, Sri Vaigai Manishankar delivering keynote address at Viruksha Mela function held at Dindigul on Thursday.

DINDIGUL: About 31villages in Kodaikanal and Dindigul forest divisions would be adopted by District Forest Office for their economic uplift, Sri Vagai Mani Shankar, District Forest Officer has said. Launching Vriksha Mela, an awareness campaign in rural areas to increase forest cover in the district, held at the Forest Extension Centre here on Thursday, he said

Amaidhi Poonga in Joint Forest Management range, Perumalpudhur and Kuyavanaickenpatti in Kannivadi, Kurundhampatti in Iyyalur, Kannimar Nagar in Sirumalai, Karaiyur and Rettayampatti in Natham and Mettupatti in Azhagarkoil ranges in Dindigul and 23 villages in Kodaikanal divisions would be adopted under this project.

The State government had sanctioned Rs.43 lakhs for Dindigul and Rs.50 lakhs for Kodaikanal for this project. Providing basic amenities and public utility services would be carried out in these villages for which ten per cent of project cost would be spent.

Motivation for farmers

Later, farmers would be motivated to grow trees, produce nurseries and variety of saplings in patta and wastelands. Such efforts would give sustainable income to farmers in the long run. Above all, forest cover in the district would be increased sizeably, he said.

Conservator of Forests, P. Varadaraj, said the main objective of the Vriksha Mela was to increase forest cover and to supply information materials as per demand of the farmers. Forest Development Agency would arrange special meetings between potential farmers and resource persons in both private and public sector. Information on suitability of species, planting and maintenance techniques and market potentials would be given to farmers.

Farmers to get inputs

Seedlings and other inputs like pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers and equipment would be given to farmers.

This meeting would provide a platform for exchanging information between potential producers and buyers of tree products and help farmers get remuneration for their product.

Such exercise would also encourage farmers to grow more trees. Farmers should grow trees and improve their income and also improve forest cover, he said.

Mastery Agro Solution Director K. Murthy Sundaram, Forest Rangers, P. Veerabadran, R. Rajasekaran and G. Vadivel interacted with farmers about the scheme.

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