Exercise begins to restore greenery

A control room has set up on green issues and it can be contacted over phone No. 7702377377. The Forest Department would provide the fully grown saplings from different nurseries in the State and if need be get them from other states, the Minister said.

The nitty-gritty of planting a sapling for every tree lost in the city is being worked out from street level and the campaign will be launched by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu here on November 10, Minister for Municipal Administration P. Narayana has said.

The Minister along with Minister for Agriculture Prathipati Pulla Rao and Minister for HRD and Education Ganta Srinivasa Rao addressed a meeting of representatives from Navy, different departments, civil society organisations and consultants, among others, here on Sunday. The Minister urged every department to come up with a proper action plan on how to go about planting the proposed 10 lakh saplings and maintain them.

The Minister wanted a practicable action plan on what was possible and how to go about it and who would take the responsibility for nurturing the plants. He wanted to know who would be willing to provide tree guards and who would plant saplings and where.

The Forest Department would provide the fully grown saplings from different nurseries in the State and if need be get them from other states, the Minister said and asked officers not to bother about the supply of plants but work on how to plant them and nurture them. All steps would be taken to provide the required nutrients like fertilizer, red alluvial soil, among others, before planting the saplings. For the first 10 days, the newly planted saplings would require watering every day and after that once in three days, officers told him.

Material availability

Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao wanted to check the availability of material and manpower with the GVMC before taking up the plantation to ensure that all the plants survive. Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry) clarified that 400 plants could be planted in a km- stretch and suggested against going for smaller plants as the dry season was approaching and their survival would be difficult.

Legislative Council member Nannapaneni Rajakumari, GVMC Commissioner M. Janaki, other senior officials, including CDMA Vani Mohan, were present.

A control room was set up for green issues which can be contacted over 7702377377.