Mangaluru : A joint survey by the Forest Department and the Mangaluru City Corporation has identified 14 different spots in the city for planting saplings this monsoon.

According to P. Sridhar, Range Forest Officer, Mangaluru, 3,000 saplings would be planted in the jurisdiction of the corporation this rainy season. Preference would be given for planting renja, nerale, kakke, holey dasavala and ashoka varieties.

The joint survey was undertaken on Tuesday and Wednesday to identify such places which are feasible for planting saplings. It was decided not to plant saplings in such areas or roads where development works have been planned for the future.

Mr. Sirdhar told that about 13,000 saplings would be planted on a 40-acre land on the premises of ONGC-MRPL here. The oil company has credited Rs. 26 lakh for this purpose to the State government.

In addition, he said that the Forest Department would plant 12,000 saplings on rural roads and highways under Mangaluru forest range, including the national highway stretch between Nanthoor and Talapady, from Surathkal to Mukka and on the major district road between Mudipu and Melkar.

Thus in all, the Forest Department would plant 28,000 saplings on its own. Its details would be photographed, data maintained and linked to the government website— egreenwatch.nic.in— for post-planting observation.

Apart from this, 45,000 saplings are available with nurseries under the range for distributing it to people. It included saplings of different varieties. People could purchase the saplings from the nursery at Padil. The cost of each sapling varied from Rs. 1 to Rs. 3.

If people plant the saplings under the “Krishi Aranya Protsaha Yojane,” then each would get an incentive of Rs. 10 per sapling in the first year of planting. In the second year, he or she would get an incentive of Rs. 15 and in the third year Rs. 20 per sapling towards maintenance.

Local fruit-bearing varieties like wild jack, jackfruit, mango, jamoon, kokum, unde huli, mant huli, and gooseberry are available for sale.

In addition, there are saplings of kalgarige, honne, kiral bogi, nagalinga pushpa, baage mara, siri honne, rama patre, and aadu soge.