Environmentalist Salumarada Thimmakka, who planted hundreds of saplings and looked after them for years, has said that the State government had promised her a site but forgot to fulfil the promise.
“I planted hundreds of saplings and looked after them for years … but today I have nothing except an old age pension,” she said after inaugurating a drawing competition for schoolchildren organised by Hassan CMC here on Sunday. Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya had also assured her benefits from the government. However, the government has not fulfilled any of the assurances, she said. “No matter whether the government responds to my demands or not, I will continue to take part in my activities intended to save nature,” she said.
CMC president H.S.Anil Kumar said he was contemplating a policy to make planting saplings compulsory for all those taking up construction of houses here. “If a person wants to get clearance from the CMC to go ahead with construction of his or her house, he or she has to plant at least two saplings on his site. He or she also has to provide the photos of the sapling planted to get the clearance. We will bring this system soon,” he said.
H.S. Prakash, MLA and others were present.
