GUWAHATI ( 9th Mile),June 21: The University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya today planted hundreds of expensive bottle palm trees by the side of the Killing road which starts from GS Road and runs through Ri Bhoi district. The plantation drive has been initiated by the University authorities on Thursday coinciding with the International Day of Yoga which has also been observed enthusiastically at USTM campus. Students and teachers from Delhi Public School, Khanapara also participated in the plantation drive.
Leading the plantation drive, M. Hoque, the Chancellor of USTM, said that plantation of bottle palm trees would not only beautify the road, but it would also help prevent erosion apart from many other benefits of this rare quality tree. He said that the long life span of bottle palm trees would contribute immensely for a long term effect. The plants have been brought from Hyderabad.
USTM Registrar Anju Hazarika said that choosing bottle palm variety for roadside plantation will add to the landscape. This type of plant doesn’t get very tall and are very slow growers. It takes a long time for these palm trees to get the actual bottle shape. They start out with no real bulge at all. As they mature, the bottle shape starts to take form. The older they get the more the bottle shape elongates. The leaves take a long time to form and unroll.