Forest Department takes up planting of native tree seedlings along national highway in Tiruchi and Pudukottai

Forest Department in Tiruchi and Pudukottai districts planting tree seedlings along highways to enhance green cover and reduce pollution.

The Forest Department in Tiruchi and Pudukottai districts has embarked on the task of planting seedlings of various tree species along the Tiruchi - Thanjavur, Pudukottai- Thanjavur and Tiruchi - Madurai national highway stretches in an effort to enhance green cover and reduce the impact of pollution. 

The exercise has been taken up under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission on the Thuvakudi - Sengipatti portion along the Tiruchi - Thanjavur national highway; Lanjamedu to Puzhuthipatti along the Tiruchi - Madurai highway; Pudukottai -Thanjavur and from Tirumayam to Mankombu in the Tirumayam - Manamadurai highway sections.

Funds for the avenue plantation works have been provided by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to the Forest Department which had already raised the seedlings of native / indigenous tree species in their nurseries in Tiruchi and Pudukottai districts. Pits were dug well in advance to enable planting works.

Seedlings of species including neem, naaval, tamarind, illuppai, vengai, pungan, neeramaruthu and thunkumunchi vagai are being planted along the highway stretches coinciding with the north east monsoon season. Teams of labourers were being engaged by the Forest Department for the planting works with tree guards made of bamboo being used to cover the planted seedlings, said Forest Department officials. 

About 1,000 seedlings had already been planted along the stretch from Thuvakudi to Sengipatti out of the 8,000 seedlings target set for this portion alone. The target set for the portion from Lanjamedu to Puzhuthipatti is 17,000 seedlings of which around 1,000 have been planted till now. The target for planting of seedlings along the Pudukottai - Thanjavur highway stretch is 5,000 out of which 3,500 had been planted so far.

With respect to the portion from Tirumayam to Mankombu, the target set is 5,000 seedlings of which nearly 1,000 seedlings had already been planted, said the department officials.  The planting works taken up on both sides of the highway stretches began about 10 days ago to coincide with the northeast monsoon, the officials said adding that the works in the remaining portions were expected to be completed 10 to 15 days.

The planting works have been taken up with the aim of enhancing green cover along the highway stretches and to reduce the impact of pollution, the officials further said. The Forest Department would maintain the planted seedlings for a period of one year and hand them over to the NHAI authorities for their further protection.