SIPCOT lends support to develop green cover, mitigate pollution

By January 2021 SIPCOT has planned to plant 66,000 saplings and so far, 2 lakh saplings procured from forest department has been planted, SIPCOT managing director J Kumaragurubaran said.

Based on expert opinion, native tree varieties are mostly planted. The range covers from woody trees like Vembu, Arasu, Kodukapaalli, Poovarsau, Naaval, Thanri, Mandharai and Pulipungan are planted.

Fruit-bearing trees like Mango, jackfruit, Guava, Baadam and Amla are also planted. Under the timber category, Mahagony, Silver Oak and Ashoka are planted, SIPCOT MD said. To ensure better survival rate, grown saplings were procured from the forest department and in-house maintenance is carried at a cost of Rs 20 lakh with horticulture equipment and tillers, he said.

For effective maintenance of saplings, new workers have been appointed and drip irrigation method will be practised to raise the green cover. Dedicated vehicles are also in place to execute the gardening works, he added.

“SIPCOT is lending its best support to the State in mitigating the pollution by contributing to green cover development and all 19 industrial parks in the State are covered under the massive green project. Besides the oxygen value and absorption of carbon dioxide from industries, these saplings will provide a green shield in fighting climate change,” another SIPCOT official said