TIRUCHY: As many as 3,000 saplings were planted by the city Corporation in a plot measuring 17,460 sq feet at Govindasamy Nagar as part of a special drive on Saturday.
While Corporation Mayor Mu Anbalagan, District Collector S Sivarasu, and Corporation Commissioner PMN Mujibur Rahuman were among those present, senior civic body officials said that Minister KN Nehru has directed for steps to increase the city's green cover, following which more plantation drives are being planned.
"We have used Akira Miyawaki's afforestation technique to plant 3000 native plant saplings in Govindasamy Nagar. We would be conducting similar plantation drives at Fathima Nagar, Ganapathy Nagar, and a few other areas," an official said. Sources said that the Corporation has identified seven plots in K Abishekapuram zone alone for the Miyawaki drive.
The move to improve the green cover has come in for appreciation. "We are already struggling to cope with the rising temperature. Therefore, we have to plant more saplings by the roadside and other places to increase our green cover. Otherwise, we would struggle in the future. It is hence appreciable that the Corporation has considered the issue and started planting more saplings at more places in the city," said Babu S, a resident of Wins Nagar.
Kavitha Mahalingam, a resident of Woraiyur, claiming how Tangedco workers often carelessly cut the branches of trees, stressed the need for Corporation’s supervision in such work. “Otherwise, they would unnecessarily cut more branches. Similarly, the Corporation should conduct regular assessment of the existing green cover to ensure that residents are also not cutting the trees in public places,” she added.