KARUR: Doing his bit for the green cause, a deputy tahsildar prioritises applications for patta from those who show proof of planting at least five saplings. Mohanraj (45) is the man behind this initiative, which has been appreciated. A native of Thanthonimalai, he was recently posted in Karur. He started with a gesture of putting up two posters in his office.
One says, ‘My Signature is not for sale. Giving and receiving bribe is an offence.’ The second poster is on the green initiative, where people are encouraged to plant five saplings on their land and submit proof if they want patta.
Mophanraj hails from a family of farmers and studied at the Government Arts College in Thanthonimalai. He became an RI in 2010. Later, he was promoted as Aravakurichi zonal deputy tahsildar in 2015 and shifted to Kulithalai in 2018. On June 10, he was assigned to Karur.
Because of his agrarian background, Mohanraj always had a love for nature and preserving environment. Speaking to Express, Mohanraj said, “For the past few years, Karur has been scorched by the sun and especially in summer, the heat becomes unbearable. With Karur having just 4 per cent forest area, there are very few trees and the place becomes like an oven. In order to bring down the heat, I decided to come up with something.
When I was in Kulithalai, I put up a poster asking people who come for patta registration or changes to plant five saplings and submit the proof. By doing so, they would be given first priority and would receive patta within two to three days instead of the usual 15 days.”
“A lot of people appreciated this and showed a great deal of support. When I was in Kulithalai, more than 30 people were given pattas within three days after submitting proof of planting saplings on their land.