1 lakh neem saplings will be planted in 10 districts
Hindustan Unilever Limited’s Hamam, in association with The Hindu, launched a tree planting drive on Friday.
The initiative — Hamam Green Puthandu — was also launched simultaneously across 10 districts in Tamil Nadu with an aim to plant 1 lakh neem trees and restore the green cover destroyed by Cyclone Vardah.
In Chennai, the event was held at Nageswara Rao park, Mylapore, where students and residents participated by planting neem saplings in the park.
The event was presided over by Mylapore MLA R. Nataraj and Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Balakrishnan. “Neem is a native tree. It is resistant and can be grown in all kinds of soil,” said Mr. Balakrishnan.
Restoring green cover
“Green, clean and pristine is the slogan of our tree plantation drive, and this initiative by HUL and The Hindu has come in handy. We hope to restore the green cover in Mylapore and its surroundings and we will continue this drive,” said Mr. Nataraj.
Around 30 children from Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya school planted the saplings. “This is the first time we are participating in such an initiative and we are very excited. We will look after these trees,” said one of the students.
After planting around 20 saplings in the park, the team proceeded to Chitrakulam Street where they involved families in the drive. They planted 12 saplings along the street.
“This is a great start to the Tamil new year. We are very happy to be a part of it,” said R. Radha, one of the residents.
The trees will be planted across 10 coastal districts, including Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, Villupuram, Tirunelveli, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur.