At these booths, voters to get saplings

In ‘model’ polling booths of K.R. Nagar constituency in Mysuru district, voters will get saplings after they cast their ballot.

Joining hands with the Forest and Horticulture Departments, K.R. Nagar Taluk Panchayat, in its bid to spread the message of greenery, will turn four polling booths ‘green’ to spread the message of afforestation and increase voting percentage.

Saplings of fruit-bearing trees were being sourced from the government nurseries for distribution among voters on May 12 with a request to plant them in their backyards or in fields and nurture them until they grow into trees.

Polling booth number 244 in Arekere Koppal village in Dornahalli Gram Panchayat is one such booth. This booth also happens to be a ‘pink’ or ‘sakhi’ booth where women polling staff will greet voters with roses. Officials said only fruit-bearing plants such as jackfruit, lemon and gooseberries have been identified for distribution.

Booth number 148 in Sanyasipura village in Hampapura Gram Panchayat, which is located on the banks of the Cauvery, is another ‘model’ booth. Flex boards will be put up here with messages on water conservation and means of ground water improvement. Also, the message of preventing water contamination and judicious use of the resource will be spread. Here too, the voters will get saplings of other tree species.

In Saligrama too, saplings will be distributed to voters coming to booth number 69 to encourage voting and edify them on water conservation. Similar efforts will also be made at Narachanahalli village at booth number 62.