Kutch village to grow a forest in its arid surroundings

RAJKOT: Bored of their arid surroundings, villagers of Viraniya, a small hamlet comprising 2,000-odd residents in Mundra taluka of Kutch, want to paint their landscape green. On Saturday, the panchayat voiced the villagers’ resolution of creating a man-made urban forest on the occasion of World Environment Day with the help of the forest department.
The village panchayat has decided execute the project on the lines of those being implemented by various municipal corporations across the state.“The objective of the project is to let the villagers enjoy the presence of nature around them. Recreation facilities for the children, sports equipment and beautification of this urban forest area are some of the highlights,” sarpanch of the village, Shaktisinh Jadeja told TOI.
The panchayat along with the forest department will plant 18,000 trees, mostly indigenous species. To combat the region’s water crisis, it has decided to use treated sewage water to water the trees. Such a forest area will also give Mundra, an industrial town, the lung power it desperately needs. The panchayat is also planning to develop a tourism spot here which may give employment to the locals in near future.