Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday expressed confidence that if ‘Haritha Haaram’ is taken up by people on a campaign mode, the State can overcome recurring drought in the next three years.
“We have planned for planting 40 crore saplings a year, at 40 lakh per Assembly constituency, and we will deliver the saplings at your doorstep. This means, 160 crore saplings over the next four years. Drought will be a thing of the past, over a period of time,” he said, after launching the much-talked-about tree plantation programme between July 3 and 10, across the State, from Chilkur in Moinabad mandal here.
He continued, speaking of how a farmer from a small habitation near Banswada in Adilabad district had once visited him at his farm in Medak district.
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“When I asked him how things are in his village and about the seasonal conditions, he told me that they had no problem because they are surrounded by dense forests and that they had never suffered a drought. That farmer knew what he was talking about,” he said.
The Chief Minister wanted people in every habitation/village across the State communicate to the administration as to how many saplings and of what kind/variety they would require during the next season. “This way, the Forest Department will be able to plan accordingly and see that you get the saplings delivered at your village next year,” he said.
Earlier, Transport Minister P. Mahender, welcomed the gathering.
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Forests Minister Jogu Ramanna said ‘Haritha Haaram’ is one of the largest programmes taken up after the birth of Telangana. This would in the next few years see a significant improvement in the forest cover that is currently only 24 per cent of the land area, he said.
“Although the programme will be taken up till July 10 throughout the State, plantation will continue till the end of September,” he said.
Mr. Rao released two compact discs full of songs - one in Telugu with lyrics by Jayaraj of Khammam district and another in Telugu called ‘Haryali Telangana’ written in Urdu by Shaadab, who hails from Warangal but works in the film industry in Chennai.