‘Amara' green drive starts on World Environment Day

Time of India

05-06-2025

Mangaluru: A city-wide plantation campaign under the 'Amara' banner started at the new DC office premises on the occasion of
World Environment Day
on Thursday. Deputy commissioner and Zilla Panchayat CEO Anandh K inaugurated the programme by planting a tree in the DC office premises.
Anandh said that under the leadership of Prof Smitha Hegde, environmental enthusiasts organised a campaign named 'Amara', where various organisations in the district identified suitable areas for planting and nurturing trees. He noted that with the onset of the rainy season, the climate is ideal for planting trees. He noted that the increasing exploitation of nature is damaging the environment and affecting daily lives.
Hence, there is a need to increase the greenery on Earth, he said.
Deputy conservator of forests Anthony S Mariyappa said that in Dakshina Kannada forest area, 5 lakh trees are planted annually. This year, the forest department is distributing 1 lakh saplings through various organisations for planting in different locations. He highlighted that every year, millions of trees are cut down for various development projects.
In response, the forest department undertakes tree planting activities.
For the development of the road between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, about 1,39,000 trees were cut down over an area of approximately 100 acres. He emphasised that while development is important, it is our responsibility to maintain ecological balance by planting and nurturing trees.
Prof Smitha Hegde, director of research at CFAL and a key figure in the 'Amara' campaign, said that under the 'Amara' initiative, the goal is to plant 10,000 trees in the Dakshina Kannada by August this year.
With the cooperation of various organisations, 4,500 locations have already been identified. Trees will be planted along the road from Baliga Stores in the city to the airport road, while 350 trees will be planted in the DC office premises.
The focus is on planting fruit trees like jackfruit, mango, and breadfruit that grow locally, she said.
The event was attended by additional deputy commissioner Santhosh Kumar G, Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner Ravichandra Nayak, deputy director of the animal husbandry department Dr Arun Kumar Shetty, environmental enthusiast Jeeth Milan Roche, and key members of various environmental organisations.