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Hans India
6 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Coast ready to green western Ghats region
Mangaluru: Following the alarming degeneration of green cover over the coast due to various infrastructure projects including the Nethravati diversion project (touted as Yettinahole), the development of three national highways, power lines and petroleum and chemical pipelines the forest department has begun bringing green cover back to its pristine self in urban, rural, and western ghats area all along the coast. Over 1.5 crore saplings have been readied at 16 major nurseries in three coastal districts of the forest department. Out of this at least 5 per cent have been reserved for tree planting projects taken up as the corporate social responsibility of various corporate bodies like MRPL, OMPL, SEZ, UPCL, Ports at Mangaluru, Udupi and Karwar, vital installations like Navy and Nuclear Power Corporation Limited at Kaiga in Uttara Kannada. In addition, 7-8 per cent will be planted under the Koti Vriksha project of the government which the schools and educational institutions execute and the rest will be planted by the forest department in various reserve forests, western ghats pockets, wildlife divisions, national parks that borders Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu. 'We know due to many infrastructure projects we have lost so much green cover, but we have readied the nurseries in the forest department to plant four trees for every tree lost during the project execution in the western ghats and the coastal region. It is not only compensatory forest development but also extensive forest development coupled with a concentration in the areas where the trees were cut' forest officials told Hans India. The forest department officials in three districts say that all the local and western Ghats endemic species have been developed. Range Forest Officers of 16 ranges across the coastal districts told Hans India that all the greening of the Western Ghats is happening on the seaside face of the Western Ghats the department has over 70 small, medium and big nurseries of Mangaluru range Forest minister of Karnataka Eshwar Khandre told Hans India that 'many flowering, shade-giving, berry yielding and tree species have been selected, which are in fact included in the plant and tree diversity of the Western Ghats. 28 species of saplings including Kakke, Holay Dasavala, Rosi Owlanda, Nerale (blueberries) Ranje, Ashoka, Jack, wild jack, wild Mangoes, Mahagoni, Pepul, wild fig have been selected for planting in the forests, The world environment day is a special day for the entire world, we in Karnataka government are taking it to the next level, knowing well that we have one of 18 biodiversity spots in the world in the western ghats' the minister told. Officials at the New Delhi-based Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPVFRA) told Hans India that the time has come to consciously protect plant diversity and not get lost in the melee of commercial propagation of plants in unlikely regions. Ever since agriculture came to be practised for the survival of Human beings 20,000 years back, plant diversity has been the object of study. Modern scientific findings have established that there are 49,000 species, out of which 3900 species have been used for human consumption and 3000 for Medicinal purposes. But in pursuit of developing cities and concrete jungles, we have destroyed many species, but now the time has come for us to protect the ones we are left with, fortunately, India is one among the 17 countries that share top plant diversity and our farmers have protected it to the maximum extent possible the plant scientists at the Authority told. The most happening areas in this unique green drive were Reserve Forests like Kanakamajalu, Kannadka and Periyabaney where the department has identified several types of bamboo and canes in over 75 hectares. All bamboo varieties are good for soil conservation, rain, several species of wildlife habitat and also for commercial value. The Kanakamajalu range forest nursery has readied 2,75,000 saplings of western ghats endemic varieties out of which 40,000 will be reserved for public distribution.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Fresh turf war: DCM opposes CM's transfers, demands reversal
Bengaluru: The uneasy power-sharing equation between chief minister and his deputy flared up again -- this time, over the transfer of five senior engineers —adding fresh fuel to a series of bureaucratic flashpoints between the state's top two leaders. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It has now emerged that Shivakumar, who also holds water resources department, formally objected to the May 9 transfer orders issued by the department of personnel and administrative reforms (DPAR), which operates under the chief minister's direct control. In a strongly worded letter to chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh, the deputy CM directed her to "immediately withdraw" the transfers, saying the decisions were made without his approval. The chief secretary is yet to respond to Shivakumar's letter. The chief minister has also not responded publicly to Shivakumar's objections, but the move is being widely interpreted in political circles as another sign of the deepening rift between the two Congress heavyweights. The engineers, all from the public works department (PWD), were reassigned to key posts within the water resources department. The list includes divisions managing sensitive and strategic portfolios such as interstate water disputes, irrigation under the Neeravari projects, the politically contentious Yettinahole project, the Command Area Development Authority (CADA), and the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation. Shivakumar took exception to the way transfers were executed. In a written note, he reminded the chief secretary that the Congress leadership had reached a foundational agreement when the govt was formed: "No transfers or appointments related to my department should be made without my approval. These transfers have been carried out without any reference to the minister concerned," Shivakumar wrote, warning that such moves violate protocol and undermine ministerial authority. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now One of the engineers affected, BH Manjunath, currently posted with the police housing corporation, is due to retire on May 31. The DPAR's order, however, instructed a replacement engineer to report to the post in advance, further raising eyebrows in Shivakumar's office. Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have struggled to maintain a working relationship amid growing turf battles over portfolios, budget allocations, and bureaucratic appointments. Party insiders acknowledge the tension. The power structure in the state, they say, has become fraught with friction as Shivakumar with chief ministerial aspiration is jostling for influence over high-profile departments like Bengaluru development, water resources, and public works. Although the Congress has attempted to present a united front publicly, the discord is increasingly hard to conceal. Earlier skirmishes over board nominations, the handling of state finances, and control over Bengaluru's infrastructure roadmap have already set the stage for mistrust.
