The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Urban afforestation in six corporations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 16, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Urban afforestation in six corporations

P. Oppili

35,000 saplings will be planted in Chennai and its suburbs

CHENNAI: The Forest department is set to launch an urban afforestation programme in the six corporations in the State.

One lakh saplings will be planted in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi, Tirunelveli and Salem.

While 35,000 saplings will be planted in Chennai and its suburbs, the number will range from 10,000 to 15,000 in the other Corporations, depending upon availability of space, department officials said. People’s participation was an important component of the present urban afforestation programme.

Unlike in the earlier greening programmes, this time the department planned to hand over the raised saplings to locals or residents welfare associations, which would be responsible for protecting the trees along with local bodies, a senior officer said.

The saplings had been raised in department nurseries functioning in the respective Corporation areas. The department allocated Rs. 4 crore for the programme. The amount would be spent on raising the saplings, digging pits and maintaining the saplings for two years.

The department would replace the casualties in the first two years.

The work would begin once the monsoon set in and would be completed before this year-end.

The department was also planning to rope in sponsors to provide tree guards, made of brick.

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