Bhubaneswar: Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar organised a plantation drive on its campus Friday on the occasion of Banamahotsav-2019.
In the aftermath of the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani, the once lush green city of Bhubaneswar had turned barren within a few hours. The rain and gusty winds flattened most of the trees in the city including those on the sprawling campus of XIMB.
District Forest Officer Kedar Kumar Swain who was present at the event outlined the features of a massive afforestation plan under which 1.3 crore saplings/trees would be planted in the state to ensure forest cover. Various institutions and schools would be involved in the campaign. XIMB being one of them, around 100 trees were planted Friday as part of the plantation drive to restore greenery on the campus.
A lot of enthusiastic students and faculty members took part in the event by planting saplings at designated spots on the campus. Earlier, XIMB had opened its doors for the underprivileged to take shelter during the cyclonic storm Fani. They had stayed there until normalcy returned.
Meanwhile, Kamat Hotel India Ltd., Asia’s pioneering hospitality chain, has launched an initiative to help rebuild the forest cover in Odisha using organically created seed balls. They are made of soil, organic compost and seeds. They are tossed or planted wherever land is available. Seeds sprout and saplings emerge provided the soil isn’t too dry or compact or dense with other vegetation. Also, the seed balls are easier to handle as compared to saplings.
Hotel employees, NGOs and social organisations have prepared these seed balls in-house along with guests, with only one aim in mind — to give back as much as they can to rebuild a green Odisha. It is worth noting that over 50 lakh trees were destroyed in and around the Puri-Konark belt during the cyclone.
The seed balls are planted across the cyclone devastated lands to ensure they grow into magnificent trees. About 500 volunteers participated in this mass seed ball planting event Friday and a special felicitation ceremony was held later at Jatri Niwas, Konark, to celebrate the event.
‘These seed balls were made after talks with environmentalists to ensure that only indigenous seeds are planted. Seeds of peepal, and banyan were used for the project. These trees are indigenous, provide shade, and help in producing more oxygen. Birds make nests in these trees because they’re indigenous. All seeds are native to India and Odisha and will help birds and animals in the region,” said V. Kamat.