Members of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the Forest Department staff dispersed 11.5 lakh seed balls in an afforestation drive held in Pollachi forest range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) on June 8.
A release said 2 TN Air Squadron, Coimbatore, organised a mass seed ball rolling involving 2,500 cadets in April. The cadets rolled 11. 5 lakh seed balls in two hours under the guidance of the Forest Department staff. The balls contained seeds of native trees.
The release said Group Commander Col. BVS Shiva Rao was instrumental in executing the afforestation drive under the NCC’s social service community development activity. With conducive weather, a mass afforestation drive was organised at Sethumadai in the Pollachi forest range limits on June 8, which was attended by 250 NCC cadets led by Wing Commander M. Pargunan.
A total of 50 staff from the Forest Department under the leadership of ATR Field Director S. Ramasubramanian and Pollachi Forest Range Officer V. Pugalendhi took part in the exercise.
Officials said the seed balls were dispersed in forest areas from where prosopis juliflora (seemai karuvelam) had been removed.
