Chittoor gears up for a massive plantation drive in June, July

District Collector Sumit Kumar addressing a meeting on plantation drive in Chittoor on Thursday.

The Chittoor administration has planned a massive plantation drive during June and July, following the onset of the Southwest monsoon, to increase the green cover and combat the issue of global warming. District Collector Sumit Kumar on Thursday chaired a meeting with the officials of the forest, agriculture, District Water Management Authority, and allied wings to chalk out an action plan for the drive. He instructed the officials to submit a report in a couple of days.

Mr. Kumar said that the plantations must be taken up extensively on government lands, besides avenue plantations along the national and state highways. He instructed the officials to survey existing nursery centres and note down the availability of saplings in advance. The Collector also called for field-level coordination among the stakeholders to identify local demand from farmers for various types of saplings.

He directed the officials to set up sapling distribution centres at two or three locations in each mandal and ensure that the farmers and the public is informed well in advance. Mr. Kumar highlighted the efficacy of distributing fruit-bearing saplings, which would provide both environmental and economic benefits to farmers.

All the officials involved in the plantation drive were directed to submit their sapling requirement to the Social Forestry division. He further asked the officials to leverage the support of the MGNREGS workers for the plantation activity across the district.

Published - May 29, 2025 06:38 pm IST