MLA urges for ban on plucking tender wild mangoes from govt land

Mangaluru: MLA Ashok Kumar Rai has urged forest, ecology and environment minister Eshwar Khandre to issue orders through the forest department prohibiting the plucking of tender wild mangoes from trees located along roadsides and on govt land.

Speaking at the programme organised by the Karnataka State Cashew Development Corporation (KCDC) in Mangaluru on Sunday, the MLA said tender mangoes should not be plucked from wild mango trees growing on govt land or along roadsides under any circumstances.

He pointed out that every summer, certain departments auction mango trees for minor revenue generation. “Such auctions are conducted for small amounts of money, but while plucking tender mangoes, nearly half the tree gets damaged. Let the wild mangoes ripen naturally and be consumed by birds, animals and people,” he said.

Rai also appealed to the minister to issue directions to plant fruit-bearing trees, including wild mango trees, along roadsides instead of other varieties of trees.