An ambitious project to plant one crore saplings in the district in five years was launched at the historic Begum Talab by district in-charge Minister M.B. Patil on Sunday as part of the World Environment Day.
The plan is to expand the forest cover in the district from 0.17 per cent to 5 per cent in five years.
“The project is to ensure that the district becomes greener and people can have cleaner air to breath. It is an apolitical project and involves people of various walks of life,” he said.
The project is undertaken by the Vriksha Abhiyana Prathistana. As many as 15 lakh saplings would be planted in the district this year with the help of government departments, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions and private organisations.
“This year, we could get only 15 lakh saplings owing to drought. Next year, we are hopeful of getting around 25 lakh saplings of native varieties for distribution,” he said.
Mr. Patil said that he had asked officials of Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Ltd. to use the nursery at Almatti dam to prepare more saplings.
Emphasising the need to protect and preserve the plants, he said that over 10,000 volunteers would be appointed in the district to ensure that their survival rate was at least 75 per cent.
Certificates would be offered to those who donate money or adopt the saplings and maintain trees. Mr. Patil said that an office would be opened at the office of the Horticulture Department near the district stadium to distribute saplings.
Superstition
Meanwhile, Shantamallikarjun Swamy of Gyanayogashrama said that chopping off certain trees fearing bad omen was an act of superstition. He said that by some people in the city were cutting off fully grown trees in their compounds at the behest of astrologers.
“How can any tree bring bad omen to any one? Cutting trees will cut a source of oxygen,” he added.
