Speaking to Newskarnataka S Madhukeshwar, Secretary of Clean Mysuru Foundation said “Clean Mysuru Foundation, as a registered Non-Profit Organisation is continuously working towards promoting Cleanliness by protecting Environmental degradation through task oriented activities. In our pursuit towards Greener Environment, Clean Mysuru Foundation has planned Green Chamundi Abhiyana, an initiative towards creating green canopy in and around Chamundi Hills for a period of 5 years. Under this initiative, medicinal plants/Shrubs, fruit bearing and environmentally sustainable seed varieties will be planted through Seed Ball culturing every year during south west monsoon. Our objective of Seedball planting is to create an evergreen canopy around Chamundi Hills at a faster rate by promoting mixed tree culture that can provide shelter to many small animals and birds for natural growth of trees in future. By creating green canopy of shrubs and plants in Chamundi Hill environs soil fertility can increase along with improving soil moisture capacity. It can also fight against the local/global climate change happening at a faster pace. We want it to be a sustainable forest”.

“On Sunday at 6.30am, all participants including the volunteers reported at Daivivana of Forest Department. Later we formed seven different teams with 15 to 20 members in each team and each team was headed by forest official who went in inside forest to plant and bomb the seed balls. Seed ball planting is a unique opportunity to all participants to enter into the Chamundi Hill protected areas along with forest officials. Nearly 15 varieties (viz Custard apple, Tamrind, Goose Berry, Banyan, Peepul, Bamboo, Mathi etc) of environmentally sustainable seed varieties were procured from Seed Division of Forest Department Nagavala has been utilized” added Madhukeshwar. It can be brought to light that Clean Mysuru Foundation launched its first phase activity of Seedball Planting on June 5 at Daivivana.

Planting of Seed Balls: Seed ball culture requires less investment and also considered as a natural process in increasing the green canopy in urban environments at all open places. Once the seed ball germinates, it does not need any care for its growth and is able to adjust naturally creating a sustainable/natural forest growth. It is seen that due to seed ball propagation success rate is around 50%, but Clean Mysuru foundation is associating with other organisations and institutions to achieve 80% success rates by inserting in a 4 inches pits digged by manual process or using the already natural pits and covering the balls with surface soil after placing them.

Former Minister and senior BJP leader Suresh Kumar, former Corporation Commissioner CS Betsurmath were also present.