Representative image
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore forest division has become bigger by 1,049.74 hectares, with district collector S Nagarajan declaring the parcels of revenue department land abutting the reserve forest in Mettupalayam, Anaimalai and Pollachi taluks as the reserve land. With this, the forest cover in the Coimbatore division has increased to 1,23,264.87 hectares from 1,22,215.13 hectares.
Forest minister K Ramachandran has appreciated the collector and forest officials for increasing the forest cover in the division to protect the passage of wild animals.
Earlier, district forest officer (DFO) D Venkatesh and team had collected details of the revenue department land adjacent to the reserve forest at Kemmampalayam, Karamadai, Tholampalayam and Maruthur in Mettupalayam taluk, Odayakulam in Anaimalai taluk, and Zamin Uthukuli in Pollachi taluk and submitted the same before the district collector a few days ago with a request to declare them as the reserve land.