The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd has plans to plant about one-crore saplings/seedlings this year as part of Haritha Haaram with a focus on giving a fresh lease of life to species that are fast vanishing from their natural habitats.
According to the company officials, about 70 lakh saplings/seedlings have been raised at the company’s own 12 nurseries established across six districts where the coal mines are spread. About 50 plant varieties, including those heading for extinction such as narepa, bamboo, maredu, neredu, chinduga,nemalinara, thani, marri, red sanders, egisa, juvvi, buruga, jitregi, ravi, usiri, medi, battaganam andsissa , are being raised at the nurseries.
Another 30 lakh seedlings would be procured from nurseries outside the Singareni mining areas to meet the target of planting one-crore saplings this year. Since 2015, when Telanganuku Haritha Haaram was launched, about 3.32 crore seedlings/saplings have been planted in the Singareni areas.
Giving details of the plantation done so far, the officials said 40.08 lakh saplings were planted in about 848.5 hectares in 2015, one-crore saplings in 819 ha in 2016, 1.10 crore saplings in 811 ha in 2017 and 90.31 lakh saplings in 588 ha in 2018. The plantation was taken up mostly in the mining areas, vacant land, overburden dumping areas and along roads apart from free distribution of plants to farmers of surrounding villages and people.
Farmers in habitations were mostly given fruit-bearing and shade-providing plant varieties.
As part of the environment-friendly measures and regulations since 1984, the company has planted 58.78 saplings till 2008. However, the efforts were given a boost from 2009 and another 72.43 lakh saplings were planted in five years till 2014, the company officials said.
They stated that the plantations taken up at Sattupalli, Rudrampur, Manuguru, Bellampalli and a few other areas have now grown into thick green cover giving shelter to fauna.
