The third phase of Telanganaku Haritha Haram to be launched on Wednesday is only helping expose the failure of the earlier massive plantation drives in Adilabad and neighbouring districts and not in raising hopes of development of greenery as desired.
The earlier two phases of the greening campaign, which saw some 7 crore saplings and plants being planted in 2015 and 2016, were disasters in terms of survival of the plants.
This year the government proposes to plant over 4 crore saplings, a crore each in Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial and Nirmal districts. It remains to be seen if more plants will survive in the third phase of the campaign.
Utter neglect
The authorities had failed to protect saplings and plants which were planted by none other than Officer on Special Duty for Telanganaku Haritha Haram Priyanka Verghese and Special Secretary in Chief Minister’s Office Smita Sabharwal in July last year. The two had planted wine palms close to the bund of the Emaikunta tank in Indervelli mandal.
The tree which was planted by Forest and Environment Minister on the Trivenivagusangam tank near Mutnoor last season has also withered.
In fact all the hundreds of plants which had been planted along the Gudihatnoor-Utnoor road have died.
Road works
Laying of roads was one of major reasons of destruction of avenue plantation. But some of the actions of contractors, like piling up debris in the area along the road where THH plantation had been taken up like on the Ramnagar-Maval stretch of old NH 7 should not have gone unnoticed by authorities, an official connected with the campaign pointed out.
The Forest Minister will launch the Haritha Haaram programme in Adilabad district at DIET ground at 11 a.m. A rally will be taken out and a human chain will also be formed at Telangana Chowk before that.
