Pursuant to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to launch the third phase of Telanganaku Haritha Haram in the first week of July in Karimnagar, the district administration is taking all measures to launch the ‘One day one lakh’ saplings programme on a grand scale.
The administration has appointed nodal officers for every 10 municipal divisions and has decided to appoint volunteers, also known as ‘Green Brigade’. The brigade is provided with ID cards to effectively supervise the plantation and its nurturing.
As a prelude to the ensuing massive tree plantation programme, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P.K. Jha, Special Secretaries Bhupal Reddy and Smita Sabharwal and Haritha Haram OSD Priyanka Verghese inspected the sites for the proposed plantation in the town on Tuesday along with Collector Sarfaraz Ahmad, Municipal Commissioner K. Shashanka, Mayor S. Ravinder Singh, and Commissioner of Police V.B. Kamalasan Reddy. They also conducted a review meeting with the officials and municipal corporators.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jha said the Chief Minister, during the review meeting held on May 17, found through Google maps that the town had turned into a concrete jungle with a few scattered spaces of greenery. Accordingly, he informed the officials to take up plantation of ‘one day one lakh’ saplings, which would be inspected by him later.
Expressing concern over the 100-year-old town turning into a concrete jungle, CMO Special Secretary Smita Sabharwal asked the authorities to take all possible measures to ensure that the one lakh saplings planted were protected till they grew up. She informed the elected representatives to play a crucial role for the success of the ambitious programme.
Special Secretary Bhupal Reddy asked the authorities to dig up pits and add manure and fertilizers before planting the saplings. He informed the authorities to identify at least 50,000 people to take up plantation of “one day one lakh” saplings in the town.
