RANIPET: The district administration, here on Monday, organised a mass plantation drive of 52.48 lakh palm seeds in all 288 panchayats.
For this effort, Ranipet claimed a world record under the category of 'most palm seeds planted at multiple locations in five hours'.
A jury team from the Elite World Records, Asian Records Academy, India Records Academy, and Tamilan Book of Records witnessed the attempt. A certificate was conferred to Collector Baskara Pandian, who launched the drive in Kannigapuram village, Arur panchayat near Kalavai. He joined hundreds of people and planted seeds on a Meichal Poramboke land.
The plantation saw participation from the public and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers. The seeds were collected in the last three months through the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and planted mostly near water bodies.
The Collector explained to the media, "The aim is to increase the groundwater table and generate the rural economy. Once it grows, which usually takes about 15 years, it can offer various benefits -- monetary and health. Palmyra is our State tree and products such as pathaneer and karupatti (palm jaggery) can be extracted from the native species." It was also an effort to raise awareness among the public about the importance of palmyra trees, added Pandian.
Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R Gandhi took part in the drive, by planting a palm seed on the bunds of a newly-carved pond in Thenkadapanthangal panchayat in Walajah union. "It was part of the Green Tamil Nadu Mission launched by Chief Minister MK Stalin. It aims at increasing the green cover in the State from 22% to 33% in the next 10 years," Gandhi told reporters.
District Revenue Officer (DRO) P Kumareswaran, Arcot MLA J.L. Eswarappan, DRDA Project Director (PD) G Loganayagi, local body representatives, and officials were present.