In a bid to enhance the green cover on the Trikuta Hills – the abode of Vaishnodevi shrine in Jammu division – the authorities on Tuesday launched a drone based initiative for aerial seeding native species trees.

This pioneering effort leverages cutting-edge technology for environmental conservation and sustainable development, preserving the natural grandeur of the revered Shrine.

A spokesman of the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) said that in association with Prime UAV, a specialized agency renowned for its expertise in advanced drone technology and environmental conservation, the initiative aims to deploy drones to disperse seeds of native plant species, promoting eco-friendly practices and supporting biodiversity conservation.

It is pertinent to mention that the Board’s Chairman Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had issued directions for leveraging drone technology for seed dispersal systems that can cover large and inaccessible areas in Trikuta Hills efficiently for environmental stewardship.

In pursuance to the same, Anshul Garg, Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB, inaugurated the program at village Natali, in the presence of officers from the Army, CRPF, J&K Police, Shrine Board, besides, faculty along with students from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi College of Nursing and educational institutions in the vicinity.

The initiative involves dispersing seeds of native species like panicum, trifolium, bamboo, khair, pharlai, arjun, sukh-chain, and bottle brush, covering an area of 109 hectares. The drone-based seed dispersal program will focus on 12 native species that promote soil conservation, prevent erosion, and support the local ecosystem.

Each drone flight distributes approximately 10 Kg. seeds whose regular monitoring will also be carried out to assess the germination and survivability of these species.

The Chief Executive Officer while speaking on the occasion expressed pride in the achievements of the green initiative, highlighting the Board’s decade-long commitment to environmental conservation citing that the Shrine Board under its Annual Green Plan has already planted over 1.7 million plants through manual intervention, with a survival rate of more than 80 per cent meticulously reared in the Board’s high-tech nursery at village Kunia in Panthal area near Katra is a testament to our dedication to preserving the nature and ecological balance in the region.

The CEO exhorted that drone-based afforestation initiative is expected to have far reaching benefits and over the next 10 years the Forest Wing of the Board plans to cover a 100 hectare degraded patch annually.

He underscored that eco-friendly endeavor is part of the Shrine Board’s broader efforts to conserve the environment and ecology by carrying out the greening of Trikuta Hills and the spaces along the tracks leading to the Shrine by rearing and planting more than 1.50 lakh seedlings every year for soil and water conservation besides, distribution as souvenirs to the devotees through Plant sale counter at Katra and Jammu in alignment with the Prime Minister’s campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.’