Will plant 13 crore saplings in 2018, says CM
KALYAN: The Maharashtra government plans to plant 400 crore saplings to cover 33% of the state’s forest area in the coming years, said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday. He was talking at the inaugural function of the state-level 13 crore tree plantation drive which was launched at Varap village near Kalyan on the occasion of Van Mahotsav (state tree plantation week). The target for 2018 is 13 crore.
“The tree plantation drive which the state government initiated is a public movement today. In the coming years we will plant 400-crore saplings to cover 33% of the forest area across the state,” said Fadnavis. The CM planted a sapling at the village along with forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and other ministers and guests of honour. The plantation drive was conducted on 31 acres of forest land behind the Radha Swami Santsang ashram in Varap village.
“In 2016, the state managed to plant 3-crore saplings and last year we planted 5-crore saplings. This time we have a target of 13-crore saplings which will set a new record,” Fadnavis said. “This initiative by the state is not just on paper. Every single sapling is geo-tagged by the forest department.”
Several NGOS, religious organisations, locals along with students of the nearby schools and colleges participated in the drive.
900 students of Jeevandeep Kanishtha College, Goveli village, planted 1,000 saplings. “We had set a target to plant 1,000 saplings and we were successful in doing it. We will make sure that our students take part in such drives in future and contribute towards saving nature,” said principal Ravindra Godvinde.
In the month-long tree plantation drive, 1.41 crore saplings are expected to be planted in the Konkan region, in which Thane district will have 34.54 lakh trees.
The forest department said a total of 35,30,219 saplings were planted across the state till 6pm on Sunday. It will plant 23.50-lakh trees in 349 locations; the gram panchayat aims to plant 4.69-lakh trees, and municipal corporations will plant the remaining.