Children from Chennai need no longer travel all the way till Hogenakkal in Dharmapuri for the famous coracle ride. In some months’ time, children can enjoy a nice fun-filled ride in coracles (‘parisal) inside a lush green forest near Tambaram.
This is one of the projects on the anvil as the State Forests Department will be spending nearly Rs. 3 crore over the next couple of years to protect and preserve Nanmangalam Reserve Forest near Tambaram, a unique green patch in the immediate vicinity of Chennai. Spread over 350 hectares (a little less than 900 acres), the reserve forest is home to 480 varieties of flora and many species of birds, including raptors and small mammals. Lakes have also been formed in four abandoned stone quarries inside the reserve forest and these are home to a number of water animals, including some species of turtles.
Work on the quarries was halted a couple of decades ago following pressure residents and environmentalists who sought the protection of the forest. However, the forest has been under a lot of pressure lately owing to human intervention. Forest Department officials say that a lot of trash, including broken liquor bottles, paper and plastic waste such as disposable plastic glasses and empty water sachets, has been dumped in the forest. Some people also use the forest as an open toilet. Goats are also allowed to graze in the area leading to the deterioration of green cover. Minor fires caused by throwing of live cigarette stubs are also not uncommon.
Recently, the State government passed an order allotting Rs. 2.83 crores for carrying out improvement works at the forest and preliminary works are expected to commence soon, the staff said, adding that a team of senior officials led by T. Sekar, Chief Conservator of Forest, made an inspection of the Forest on Friday. In addition to the coracle ride, various other eco-tourism initiatives and information and awareness campaigns would also be launched. A compound wall around the forest would also be constructed. A proposal to establish the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project at a cost of Rs. 8 crore on the fringes of the forest is under consideration.
