The Collector Jayashree Muralidharan handed over Rs. 64.42 lakh as 75 per cent share in raising karuvelam plantation in the water bodies to 33 village panchayats in the district for undertaking development works. Under the social forestry programme, plantations are raised in panchayat, panchayat union and public works department tanks since 1981. The government provided 75 per cent of the fund fetched by auctioning the forest produce to the respective village panchayats for launching development works.
A total of 37 plantations were raised in different tanks in 33 village panchayat across the district during the years 2009-10 and 2010-11. The collector handed over the share of the panchayats to the presidents at the weekly grievances day meeting today.
Nihar Ranjan, Divisional Forest Officer, Social Forestry Division, T. Thiagarajan, District Revenue Officer, G. Radha, Project Officer, District Rural Development Agency, and other officials were present.
