Trenches would be dug in the forest lands across the State to protect them from encroachments, Minister for Forests Sidda Raghava Rao said here on Thursday.
The Forest Department would commence works to dig trenches across 1,700 km at a cost of ₹50 crore.
Speaking to mediapersons after inspecting the works at Nagaravanam near Perecharla where Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu would interact with children during ‘Karthika Vana Samaradhana’ programme, Mr. Rao said an amount of ₹500 crore had been allotted to the department.
The department is on track to complete the target of enhancing the green cover in the State to 50%. Out of the target of planting 25 crore saplings in the State, the department has planted 23 crore saplings. The Minister said development of zoos would be given top priority. The State government has sanctioned ₹35 crore to take up developmental works in Visakhapatnam zoo. An international zoo would also come up at Amaravati, he said.
