Ensure green environment: Collector

Warangal Urban: Apart from providing quality education, the onus is on people to ensure clean and green environment to their wards, Warangal Urban District Collector Prashanth Jeevan Patil said.

Taking part in the block plantation drive as part of Haritha Haram near Suraram village under Elkathurthy mandal on Wednesday, he told the villagers about the importance maintaining ecological balance on the Planet Earth.

He told them to take up plantation drive on a massive note. "The gram panchayats would get incentives if they ensures survival rate of plants is 80 per cent or above," he said. Referring to the previous phases of Haritha Haram, the Collector expressed disappointment.

"Even though 3 crore saplings were planted in last three years there was no significant forward step in increasing the forest cover," Patil said, appealing to people to coordinate with the officials and people's representatives to make Haritha Haram a huge success.

Referring to the avenue plantation, he told the officials to plant 400 saplings for each kilometre. "Panchayat Secretaries have been entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the survival rate of plants.

NREGS workers will be appointed to protect the plants by providing them Rs 5,000 a month. The workers will also get incentives if they manage survival rate 80 per cent at least, he added. The Collector told the officials that he would inspect the block plantation next month.

Elsewhere at Dandepally under Elkathurthy mandal, the Collector stressed the need for sensitising the farmers to adopt modern farming methods. He intently watched while a farmer used drum seeder in a paddy field.

Mechanisation of agriculture not only saves time but also minimises wastage of seed, he said, stating that the government was giving 50 per cent subsidy to farmers for the purchase of drum seeders which originally cost Rs 5,000 a machine. Agriculture assistant director K Damodar Reddy and MAO M Rajkumar were among others present.