Administration kicks off campaign to uproot gajar booti, congress grass

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 29

The district administration has initiated a campaign to uproot harmful ‘gajar booti’ and Congress grass from its various offices and along roadsides. The harmful weed was uprooted from at least 35 government offices as a part of the drive.

Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said the drive would continue till these harmful weeds were uprooted from each and every place in the district. He said the administration had also roped in the railways authorities to clear the area on sides of railway tracks.

Bhagat said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal ahd instructed the administration to initiate campaign to uproot these weeds during one of his sangat darshan programmes here. Apart from manual uprooting, spray was also being used for destroying the weeds, he added. The DC said a meeting to evaluate the progress of the campaign would be held in the first week of September after which next action would be planned.

Gajar booti (coronopus didymus) and congress grass (parthenium hysterophorus) is a common weed seen at various places in the district. These weeds are known for spreading eczema, dermatitis and asthma. Apart from being harmful for humans, the wild growth is also harmful for stray and milch cattle. The milch cattle are at a risk of getting dermatitis if they graze on weeds.