The Forest Department in coordination with other departments and agencies is making a concerted effort to make the government’s flagship programme, ‘Haritha Haram’, a grand success by fulfilling the target of planting 335 lakh saplings in the current monsoon.
It was proposed to be planted saplings at the rate of 40 lakh saplings in each of nine Assembly constituencies taking the percentage of forest area to the total geographical area to 33 per cent as per the set standards. At present, the district has 21.46 per cent of forest area besides, three per cent tree cover outside the reserve forest area in the district.
Talking to The Hindu , the Chief Conservator of Forests, Ashok Kumar Sinha, said that his department geared up for raising the required number of saplings to meet the given target. Plans were afoot to plant saplings in a distance of 700 km (avenue plantation in single row in 200 km, plantation in multiple rows in 100 km and canal bank plantations in three rows in 400 km), he added.
That apart, plantations would be undertaken in 100 hectares of barren land, community land plantations in 2,295 hectares and tank foreshore plantations in 1,125 hectares. Divisional Forest Office, Social Forestry, National Highway Authority, Superintending Engineer (Minor Irrigation), Panchayat Raj and Education Departments, District Water Management Agency, civic bodies and Industrial Department were entrusted with the responsibility of planting the saplings.
Mr. Sinha said that the seedlings were being raised in 411 nurseries and of which 242 were being maintained by the Forest Department and the rest of 169 by DWMA. Species to be raised, included gulmohar, peltophorum, cassia siamea, raintree, kanuga, sissoo, alstonia, pogada, dirishanam, spathodia, adavi badam, bahunia, silver oak, thuraka vepa, tabobia, Tacoma, cum karaya, China badam, erumadda, teak, nallamaddhi, gummadi teak, babul and subabul.
Fruit bearing trees such as jama, nimma, danimma, tamarind, usiri, regu, boppai, munaga, eetha, karivepa, maredu, neredu and karjur will be supplied to households to plant in residential areas, said the CCF.
Describing the ‘Haritha Haram’ as an excellent programme to provide green coverage to the State, he said a total of 90,459 hectares would be covered under the project in the district.
Karimnagar Special Correspondent adds: The Karimnagar district administration has decided to launch the ambitious ‘Haritha Haram’ programme of taking up massive plantation from June 15 onwards by involving all sections of society in the district.
In a press note here on Saturday, Collector Neetu Prasad said that they had decided to plant a total of 5.2 crore saplings. However, in the first phase, they would take up plantation of 3.5 crore saplings, she added.
She said that they would appoint a supervisor in each Assembly segment.
