BHUBANESWAR: Kamat Hotel India Ltd, Asia’s pioneering hospitality chain of environmentally sensitive five star hotels and resorts, has launched an initiative to increase the forest cover in Odisha using organically created seedballs. Around 50 lakh trees were destroyed in the Puri-Konark belt by Cyclone Fani.
The seedballs are made from mud, organic compost and seeds. These seedballs can be thrown anywhere where there is land to grow, provided that the soil isn’t too dry or dense with other vegetation. The seedballs are easier to plant compared to saplings.
Hotel employees, NGOs and social organisations prepared the seedballs in-house along with guests in an attempt to give as much as they can to restore the green cover of the state.
The seedballs are planted across cyclone devastated lands to ensure that they grow into magnificent trees. Around 500 volunteers participated in this Mass Seedball Broadcasting event held July 5.
A special felicitation ceremony was also organised on the same day at Jatri Niwas, Konark, to celebrate the event.
The Minister for IT & Sports, Tusharkanti Behera, inaugurated the seedball plantation event at Yatri Niwas Konark.
“The seedballs were made after consultations with environmentalists to ensure that only indigenous seeds are planted. Seeds of trees like Grass, Peepal and Banyan have been used for the project. These trees are indigenous, provide shade and produce more oxygen. Birds nest in these trees as they are indigenous. All seeds are native to India and Odisha and will help birds and animals in the region as they are grass and fruit bearing,” said V Kamat.
Puri DFO Harsh Bardhan Udgata, tourism official Saroj Kanta Pradhan, Odia actor Sabyasachi Mishra, Konark Police Station IIC Sanjeeb Pradhan, Block Education Officer Basant Mishra, Hotelier Abhijan Talukdar, NAC Executive Officer N. Srinibas Rao, Tehsildar Prithviraj Mandal and Konark Fire Station Officer Jyoti Prakash Rath attended the function and participated in the seedball plantation programme.
Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, the Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Kamat Hotels India Limited, presided over the function and distributed certificates and mementos to all participants, organisations and guests.
Vishal Kamat, Managing Director, Kamat Hotels India Limited, gave the vote of thanks.
Sumit Das and Bharat Bhushan Biswal, General Managers of KHIL, Odisha, Rajib Lochan Rout, Financial Controller, Ashish Mishra, Regional Sales Head and Neha Joshi attended the meeting along with the KHIL Odisha team.
Earlier, a truck was dispatched from Maharashtra to Odisha with the 10 lakh seedballs. KHIL Odisha team members received the seedballs June 25 at Bhubaneswar and at Konark June 26.
