District Collector of Erode, H Krishnanunni, IAS, has been working intensely to provide a better life to the tribals in the district. They are the same people who were disconnected from the mainstream for a long time. Now they are full of opportunities and benefits.
Recently, a new project has been started in Erode under the guidance of the District Collector where two purposes are being solved in a single initiative. With the help of the administration, Erode is getting rid of the invasive weed, Lantana Camara, and at the same time providing various livelihood opportunities for the tribals by converting waste into money.
TWO BENEFITS IN ONE INITIATIVE
While speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr H Krishnanunni said “Lantana Camara, which is growing throughout the forests of the state and many parts of the country, is a serious threat to biodiversity and hence it has to be removed from all the forests of the state to maintain the green cover. Hence, we thought of adding some value while this weed will be removed and turned into waste.”
Upon some trials in other parts of the country and the past experience of the officer, it was decided that the waste generated from removing the weed will be turned into handicrafts. The work is being done in three forest divisions, Thalavadi, Hasanur, and Bargur by a team of administrative and forest officials which includes the District Collector, Additional Collector (Development), Project Director, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) L Madhubalan, and District Forest Officer, Kiruba Shankar.
TRAINING TRIBALS
Mr. Krishnanunni said, “Under the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project which is now known as Vazhndu Kattuvom Project, a group of tribals has been identified and are being trained at the centres run by Adivasi Munnetra Sangam. Experts from Asoka Trust for Research into Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru, and World Wildlife Fund trained the people to make furniture out of Common Lantana.
Products like sofa sets, chairs, bookshelf, flower baskets, round tables, footwear stands, etc. are being produced out of the Lantana Camara weed by the tribals. The weed is uprooted from forest areas and the sticks are bundled and boiled and the bark peeled off. The sticks are shaped to make dustbin, cloth box, basket, bookshelf, sofa sets, round table, footwear stand, tea plate, flower basket, and plate stands.
Mr. Krishnanunni said, “The products which are produced by the tribals are hence brought to the District Supply and Marketing Society (DSMS) for sale. We are having a showroom under the DSMS which is an umbrella for all the products which are produced by the SHG workers and the tribals.”
FUEL BRIQUETTES
Apart from the handicraft, the district administration is also innovating to produce more stuff from the invasive weed waste. The administration has planned to produce fuel briquettes. As fuel briquettes will be made out of Lantana Camara, it will help in creating more livelihood opportunities for the tribals. Lantana plant had high calorific value and making fuel briquettes will not be only help reduce the weed but also solve fuel issues in rural areas.
