Mysuru:  The Vijayanagar First Stage Residents Welfare Association, in collaboration with Rotary Mysore North and the Forest Department, had organised a tree-planting drive at Kannada Sahitya Parishat Bhavan premises in Vijayanagar first stage last Sunday.

Chief Conservator of Forests Karunakaran was the chief guest. Mosquito control and eradication expert Dr. Somashekar Gowda, Rtn. Mallaraje Urs, Rtn. Nanjaiah, who is also the President of the Association and others were present.

In the evening, the first anniversary of the Yoga Mantapa inside the Park in front of Sri Yoganarasimhaswamy Temple was celebrated. The 40X40 gazebo (a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area) has been built at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh. MCC had sanctioned Rs. 5 lakh and the then Chamaraja MLA Vasu had sanctioned Rs. 5 lakh from the MLA funds.

The programme was inaugurated by Mysuru Vivekananda Yoga Education and Research Institute Hon. President Dr. A.N. Ganesh Kumar. Students performed yoga under the leadership of yoga teacher P.M.S. Gowda and International Yoga Champion Khushi. Students of the Institute gave an excellent demo on various asanas.

In the evening, a mosquito eradication programme was held where Dr. Somashekar Gowda gave a demonstration on mosquito eradication by letting larvae-eating fish into the tanks at the park premises.

He suggested the residents near different parks to release fish-eating larvae into water bodies or small water tanks to control mosquito menace.

On the occasion, Gopalaswamy and family gave a cash prize of Rs. 5,000 to Khushi and donated Rs. 60,000 to Jayanath, son of Shivaram, to pursue his engineering studies.