BHUBANESWAR: Kamat Hotel India Ltd., Asia’s pioneering hospitality chain of environmentally sensitive 5-star hotels and resort, has undertaken the initiative to help rebuild the forest cover in Odisha using organically created seed balls. Over 50 lakh trees were destroyed around the Puri-Konark belt during the cyclone Fani.
Team members of Lotus Resort Konark received 10 lakh seed balls from Mumbai. These seed balls are scheduled to be thrown across the cyclone devastated lands before onset of the monsoon to ensure they bloom into magnificent trees. “This is our way of giving back to Odisha, where we’re operating Lotus Eco Beach Resort Konark and Mahodadhi Palace Puri for the past 10 years,” said Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, Executive Chairman & Managing Director, Kamat Hotels India Limited.
This is our home and we’ll try our best to rebuild its green cover as ‘One Nation and One Family’. We are grateful to all the school children, societies, NGOs and hotel guests who participated in this noble cause. All seeds are native to India and Odisha and will help birds and animals in the region as they are grass and fruit bearing,” he added.
These seed balls were made after talks with environmentalists to ensure that only indigenous seeds are planted. Seeds of trees such as Grass, Peepal, and Banayan were used for the project. These trees as indigenous, provide shade, and help actively in producing more oxygen. Birds make nests in these trees because they’re indigenous. We want the communities of Konark and nearby places to be a part of it and take it forward. The team received great help from the forest and tourism department in the endeavour.
The seed balls are made from mud, organic compost and seeds. The advantage of these seed balls is that they can be thrown anywhere where there is land to grow, provided that the soil isn’t too dry compact, or dense with other vegetation. Also, these seed balls are easier to plant as compared to saplings. The hotels’ employees have prepared these seed balls in-house along with local authorities, with only one aim in mind – to give back as much as they can to rebuild a green Odisha.
A truck was dispatched from Maharashtra to Odisha with these 10 lakh seedballs, ensuring they’re transported carefully. With this noble initiative, Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd. will ensure afforestation on a large scale.