Mangalore : Minister for Forests C.H .Vijayashankar speaking at the media persons at the press meet held at DC Chamber said that, earlier Tirumala temple was the only the tourist place in Tirupathi, but now the tourist also enjoy the greenery.
He also said that the department has made different arrangement for the tourist to enjoy the greenery, purchase the plants and sow it in their native place and grow it. It will also give importance to the traditional plants and tress, he informed.
India is the only country which produces Vanaspathi and Ayurvedic plants and whole world is looking for it, hence the forest department has made rural development committee in 5 districts for the development.
In this matter, the experts will be called and hold a workshop and collect the information to build a good environment for growing the plants. The Forest Department has decided to ban planting of eucalyptus (Nilgiris) and acacia saplings on government land as they are not fruit-bearing and don’t provide shelter for birds.
Distribution of saplings from government nurseries would also been stopped. The department would educate the people on the disadvantages of these varieties, the Minister said.
He said there were instances of people opting for eucalyptus and acacia cultivation in the catchment areas of Malnad and semi-Malnad areas, which was contributing to depletion of groundwater level. The Forest Department would prepare a blueprint for increasing the green cover in the State, and a policy on planting trees on both sides of roads would soon be announced.
Instead of planting eucalyptus and acacia saplings, the department in collaboration with the departments of Education, Revenue, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Urban Development, Health, and Water Resources would educate the public and schoolchildren about the importance of planting saplings of fruit-bearing trees on barren, forest and private lands in the State, he said. There is a misconception in people that, forest department is not willing to given the forest land to other department, but is wrong, the forest department will give land but in return the other department must given the same quantity of land in other places.
The Urban Development Department would be appealed to issue directions to all urban local bodies and city corporations to plant more saplings in their jurisdiction to increase green cover by enhancing the budgetary allocations. The Revenue Department would be asked to transfer barren lands to the Forest Department to increase green cover.
Speaking on the wild life, he said that there are lot of complaints regarding the wildlife animals coming out of the forests and creating physical problems to the people, he added.