Promotion of greenery, the godly way 

Warangal district authorities are planning to distribute saplings as Haritha Prasadam to devotees who assemble in large numbers at Medaram, in a unique plan to promote greenery

Medaram (Warangal): Buttressing the government’s flagship programme - Haritha Haaram - to improve green pastures in the State, the Warangal district administration has found a new way of promoting greenery. The authorities have come with a plan to supply saplings to Medaram devotees in the name of Haritha Prasadam.

The Haritha Prasadam plan is the brainchild of District Collector Vakati Karuna. She instructed the Forest officials to open nursery stalls at Sammakka Saralamma jatara at Medaram and to encourage devotees to take the saplings and see their favourite deities in those trees.

It might be mentioned here that in the past, the devotees, especially tribals, who worship here had a custom of taking a bamboo piece with them from the jatara when they headed back home as a token of remembrance of the deities.

With the Haritha Prasadam programme is something similar to that age-old custom, the authorities are trying to drive home the sentiment to promote the government’s plans of improving greenery around.

The authorities have made bael (maredu), amla (usiri), bamboo, prosopis cineraria (jammi), peepal (raavi), myrtus cyminum (alla neredu) and tecoma saplings available at the nursery for the devotees to choose any two for Rs 10.

Following good response from the devotees, the Forest department is making arrangements to open four more stalls from Tuesday. The location of the stalls is strategically planned so that the devotees could easily access the prasadam.

Besides the nursery near Sammakka Saralamma gaddelu, the officials are making arrangements to erect stalls at Medaram bus point, Tadwai-Medaram arch, Narlapur and at private parking places.

Speaking to The Hans India, the DFO (Social Forestry) V Venkateshwar Rao said, “In all, we have plans to set up eight stalls before the actual four-day jatara begins on February 17. As of now, the response to Prasadam plan is encouraging.”