Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr.. Asgar Hassan Samoon today launched a massive plantation drive at Anantnag by planting different kinds of saplings at various places across the district.The plantation drive was kick started at Mulberry Nursery Sarnal, where the Divisional Commissioner planted a Mulberry sapling in the campus of Sericulture Development Department, which was followed by plantation of Alanthus variety at Aakura and tree guard plantation on Khanabal-Dak Bunglow road. Later he also planted Chinar trees in the campus of Government Boys Degree College.At Sarnal, the Divisional Commissioner flagged off a bus carrying progressive sericulture farmers under ATMA Programme for training tour at various sericulture training centers across the stateDuring the drive, the Divisional Commissioner asked the district administration to extend the green cover in the district especially at tourist spots including Pahalgam, Kokernag and Daksum by planting exotic conifers like Deodar at these places.He urged for involving students in the plantation process so that they become environmentally literate.
The Divisional Commissioner was informed that in the ensuing plantation season, the district administration along with forest and other line departments plans to plant 7 lakh saplings of different species at various identified places in the district, out of which 3.5 lakh saplings mostly exotic conifers have been already planted in the Lidder, Kokernag and other environmentally fragile areas of the district. He was also informed that to encourage silk production in the district, the Sericulture Department would plant more than 50,000 mulberry saplings in the district.He said that a plantation drive would also be started alongside the National Highway so as to mitigate the effects of vehicular pollution.Addressing a gathering of school children, who took part in the plantation drive at Aakura, the Divisional Commissioner said that parents and teachers should engage children in co-curricular activities like plantation drives at community and personal level to help the state to become a green and clean state.
District Development Commissioner Anantnag, Mr. Muneer Ul Islam, Additional District Development Commissioner Mr. Muhammad Younis Malik, Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr Sheikh Ghulam Hassan, ACD Anantnag, SDM Pahalgam, SE R&B, PHE, PDD, District Officers of Agriculture, Floriculture, Sericulture, Horticulture, CAPD, and other district officers were accompanied the Divisional Commissioner during the plantation drive..Later, the Divisional Commissioner inaugurated Impersonal under 17 T-20 Cricket Tournament at GDC Khanabal.