The teak sapling initiative in Garabasa assumes significance as this area was earlier encroached by illegal car washing agents who used the waterline and wasted drinking water. This stretch of the road was also unpopular for unauthorized heavy vehicles parking that posed severe threat to the pedestrians and caused inconvenience to normal traffic movement.

Jusco, with the help of the district administration, removed the illegal structures and car washing agents and developed a plan to convert the space into green zone."The primary objective of the mass sapling plantation was to create awareness to make the 100-year-old city a clean and green place to live in," said divisional manager, corporate communication and event management, Jusco, Rajesh Rajan.

Tata Steel, corporate communication VP Sunil Bhaskaran keenly participated in the 150 avenue trees sapling plantation programme at Golmuri golf course, earlier in the day.

Jusco, which has planted more than 15,000 trees, in the last financial year, across the industrial town to spread green coverage has announced to plant one lakh fruit saplings of mango, guava, lychee, orange and jackfruit, in the coming days.

In addition to this, the corporate entity will plant 5,000 avenue trees on central and side verges of road. In the last one decade, Jusco has planted 12 lakh trees and it has vigorously taken up the job of planting over a lakh trees by the end of the 2016-17 financial year.

"In the last few quarters, we have covered over 3000 sq ft area through grass multiplication and have planted over 10,000 trees of Bougainvillea Propagation. Besides, equal number of trees of different species is parked at our tree bank for carrying plantation drive efficiently," said senior town gardening official of the company.