Goal is to increase forest cover in T.N. to 33%, says Minister
The Hindu
Forest Minister M. Mathiventhan said that T.N. CM M.K. Stalin had given instructions on increasing the forest cover in the State; he asked Forest Department officials to work towards this target over the next 10 years
Forest Department Minister M. Mathiventhan, who recently took charge, conducted a review meeting with the officials of the Salem Zone Forest Department at the Athanur Forest Extension Centre in Namakkal on Monday.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister said that the Chief Minister had given instructions to increase the forest cover of Tamil Nadu to 33%, and so, officials should take appropriate steps to do so. Steps should be taken to increase soil-dependent trees in forest areas, he said.
In Namakkal district, 15% of the total land area is forests. All necessary measures should be taken to increase the forest cover and meet the target of 33% in the next 10 years, he said.
Earlier, Minister Mathiventhan planted saplings on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of former Education Minister K. Anbazhagan.
Salem Circle Conservator of Forest A. Periasamy, Namakkal District Forest Officer K. Rajangam, Salem District Forest Officer Kashyap Shashank Ravi, Attur District Forest Officer Sudhakar, and Forest Department officials participated in the review meeting.
No room for complacency till counting is completed, Chandrababu Naidu tells TDP-BJP-JSP contestants. The TDP-BJP-JSP alliance will register a comfortable victory in the general elections over the YSRCP, he says. Alleging that the YSRCP has conspired to create disturbances on the counting day, the TDP national president advises the chief counting agents and their teams to see to it that the officials adhere to norms related to counting.