“Visioning Exercise" for ‘Green Resilient Rameswaram’ was organized for the 1st time on Saturday, 13th May 2017, with the stakeholders at Vivekananda Vidyalaya of Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Rameswaram.

All the stakeholders numbering 127 including Govt. officials, representatives of different organizations, NGOs and others attended the day long interactive exercise. Regional Director of Municipal Administration, Madurai, Smt.Janaki not only attended the entire session but also a preparatory session on 12th May evening.  Dist. Collector Dr.Natarajan, IAS attended the valedictory function where the anchors of different 10 verticals presented their reports. Based on the Visioning Exercise a comprehensive project report on “Green Resilient Rameswaram” will be prepared.

These are deciduous trees, to 20 m high, bark 6 - 8 mm, pale brown, vertically shallowly grooved, exfoliating in small rectangular flakes; blaze yellowish-brown; bole straight; branches horizontal. Leaves opposite, decussate; stipules interpetiolar, lanceolate, cauducous; petiole 20 - 45 mm, stout, glabrous; lamina 10 - 25 x 6 - 12 cm, ovate or elliptic-oblong, base truncate or obtuse, apex acuminate, margin entire, glabrous above, pubescent beneath; lateral nerves 10-14 pairs, pinnate, prominent; inter-costae scalar form, prominent. Flowers bisexual, yellowish, in globose heads, 2 - 4.5 cm across; calyx tube 2-3 mm in diameter, tube globose, lobes 5, 5 - 6 x 3 - 4 mm, membranous; corolla tube 6-8 mm long, lobes 5, oblong, acute, 3 - 4 cm long, glabrous; stamens 5, 3 mm long, anthers sagittate, sessile; ovary 3 - 4 mm long, 2-celled at base, 4-celled above, inferior, ovules many; style exserted to 5 - 6 mm, entire; stigma clavate. Fruit a capsule on a fleshy globose receptacle, 3.5 - 5 cm across, orange yellow, capsule membranous; seeds may, angular, minute (India Biodiversity Portal).