Virudhunagar district residents enthusiastically participated in a mass tree sapling planting campaign on Saturday.
Minister for Backward Classes K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran planted a sapling on the Collector's camp office to mark the beginning of the drive.
Minister for School Education Thangam Thennarasu, Collector Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan, industrialists Ramasubramaneya Rajha and P.R. Palanichamy were among those present.
District Revenue Officer B. Ganesan said that the people's efforts were duly supported by evening showers.
The officials could collate data for 7.90 lakh saplings planted during the day.
“We need to collect the information from several sources. From the teachers who were documenting the saplings planted on residential premises, from the village administration officers about those planted in private land and from municipal officials,” Mr. Ganesan said.
Over 12.70 lakh saplings had been distributed among the people.
“Even today we distributed some 40,000 saplings,” Mr. Ganesan added.
The exact number of saplings planted will be known by Sunday. The district administration has taken efforts to document the entire proceedings to enter in the Guinness Book of World Records.
