MYSURU: The lack of pre-monsoon showers and the scorching summer are not just affecting farmers, but have also ruined the plans of the Forest Department which had taken up seed sowing activity in the forest-fire hit Bandipur National Park area.
About 400 hectares of forest in Bandipur National Park were reduced to ashes early this year in the worst-ever forest fire that the region has ever witnessed.
In order to revive the lost green cover in the next three to five years, the Forest Department decided to sow seeds of various plant species and began the sowing work a fortnight ago. It may be recalled here that the Forest Department had decided not to allow any kind of seed ball campaign for this purpose.
The department had deputed 15 field staff and also hired labourers to take up sowing of more than 3 tonnes of seeds to grow bamboo, grass, gooseberry, grewia crenulata and other plant species. The authorities had also identified areas falling under Gopalaswamy Hills forest range of Bandipur National Park to take up the activity and were happy after the region received some rains last month.