Minister has big plans up his sleeve for City

For ecology: Devavanam at Chamundi Hills among others

These are among a few of the slew of projects taken up by the Forest Department in the city.

This was announced to the media here on Sunday by Minister for Forests and Small Industries C H Vijayashankar, at an interaction programme organised by Mysore District Journalists Association (MDJA).

Explaining about ‘Devavanam’, the minister said it is intended at giving impetus to grow traditional plants like ‘banni’, ‘bilvapatre’, ‘bevu’ among several others at Chamundi Hills, the popular shrine visited in large numbers by both tourists and locals alike.

Similarly, hills in every district that receives over 1,000 visitors per day, will be utilised to conserve such plants thus enhancing the attraction of the places, the minister said.

Lingambudhi Lake, will be developed on the lines of Karanji lake as a tourist attraction. Works on both the projects are expected to take off in a few days, minister added.

Stressing that the Cubbon Park should not be restricted for Bangalore alone, the minister that ‘Tree Park’ will come up within 10 km periphery of every district centre.

Barring toilets, no other construction activities will be permitted inside the park. In Mysore, 500 acres of land available surrounding ‘Aloka’ a heritage site dated back to the period of Wadiyars, has been identified for the Park, the minister asserted.

In order to create awareness about environment from the nascent days itself, the minister said that he also has devised a programme called ‘Maguvige Ondu Mara, Shaalege Ondu Mara’ (Tree for a kid, and for a school too).

The student at the school will be gifted with a sapling. He or she will be administered an oath to nurture the plant. Likewise, sapling will be distributed to every school.

The best will be feted to encourage the activity. MDJA President K Shivakumar, General Secretary B S Prabhurajan, Vice-president (urban) T V Rajeshwar and Treasurer Kundur Umesh Bhat were present.

Initiatives

* Regional Policy readied; to form a panel, seek public opinion.
* Tree Park on the lines of Cubbon P ark in Bangalore.
*  Lingambudi Lake to be developed as tourist attraction.
*  Students and Schools to be involved.
*  Forest Control Room to resume activities shortly.
*  Six experts roped in for research purpose.
*  Laboratories to be opened by recruiting chemists.
*  Survey wing to be constituted to verify lands.
*  Aranya Mitra, a bi-monthly journal to be brought out.
*  e-governance to be introduced in the existing set up.
*  Helpline in offing; informers assured secrecy.
*  Forest and non-forest areas identified for development.
*  Monoculture to be relegated to the pages of history.
*  More impetus to be given to nursery plantation.
*  Massive plantation at command areas planned.