THOOTHUKUDI
Collector K. Senthil Raj has exhorted the heads of local bodies situated on both sides of the Tamirabharani to employ workers of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme to plant saplings along the banks and adjoining areas of the river and water the saplings to increase the district’s green cover.
“Since the district has only 5% green cover, we should plant and grow more trees to exceed the State average of 26% by pooling in all our available resources,” he told the public while inaugurating the planting of saplings along the Tamirabharani watercourse at Azhikudi, Muththalankurichi and Arampannai on Tuesday while launching the project on creating denser forest along the Tamirabharani after removing the thorny bushes.
He said the Tamirabharani, which is quenching the thirst of millions of people in four southern districts and nourishing several lakhs of cultivable lands, had nourished 3,000-year-old Tamil civilization on its banks. While the Indus valley and Harappa civilizations and Ashoka dynasty period had only prakrit language and not Hindi, Tamil had been spoken and written even during 3,000-year-old Tamil civilization that thrived at Aditchanallur, Sivakalai, Korkkai and other areas, which were being excavated now.
“We should preserve the Tamirabharani by growing as many trees along the banks of the river and also in the adjoining areas. We should create dense forest along the watercourse of the Tamirabharani from Marudhur check-dam to Punnaikaayal by planting and raising several lakhs of trees. While the local bodies should use MNREGP workers for this purpose, the public, organizations, students, volunteers should join hands with us in this noble cause to increase the district’s forest cover from existing 5% to 30% at least,” Dr. Senthil Raj said.
After distributing tree saplings to the public, the Collector inspected the recently built bus-shelter constructed in Srivaikundam at the cost of Rs. 3.50 lakh.
Revenue Divisional Officer Sivasubramanian, Srivaikundam Tahsildar Radhakrishnan, Executive Engineer of Public Works Department Mariappan and local body heads were present.
