Chennai: Around 3,000 palm tree seeds were planted along the ramp for persons with disabilities at Marina Beach on Sunday, thanks to an initiative undertaken by non-profit TN Volunteers with assistance by govt.
Volunteers said that if conditions are favourable, 40% of the seeds will survive and grow as full-fledged palm trees. “We piloted a similar initiative last year on the Marina, planting around 200 seeds. Of them, 65 seeds are intact. More than a 100 volunteers, including children, participated in the drive on Sunday. The initiative is an extension of the Palm Seeds Plantation Mission launched by the organisation in 2023 in collaboration with the environment and forests department and Green Tamil Nadu Mission. Overall, as of 2026-27, around 15.19 lakh trees have been geo-tagged.
The initiative is to raise awareness among the public about the importance of palm trees and their role in coastal and ecological protection,” said Hari Krishnan , president, TN Volunteers. “Of them, 9.15 lakh trees have been geo-tagged through a Green Tamil Nadu Mission app and 6.04 lakh through ‘Udhavi’ — an application designed by the TN Volunteers,” an official with the environment department said. The mission—an extension of the Palm Seeds Plantation Drive—aims to cover both sides of the ramp for a few metres to the beach. Officials are also geo-tagging the trees planted under the mission.