After attaining power, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is focusing on increasing the green cover in the State and top priority is being accorded to Medak district, the home district of the Chief Minister. He has directed the officials to prepare plans to plant one crore saplings in the district at a meeting held at Gajwel on June 4 and announced that they would be increased to two crore by next year.
The district authorities have prepared a grand plan to take up planting of about one crore saplings as avenue plantation, home state plantation, institutional plantation and forest area plantation. According to the plan, the first phase had to be completed by June 26, followed by second phase by the end of July and phase three by August 15. Even Collector A. Sarath held meetings with officials on this issue.
With regard to Gajwel, it was directed that the entire constituency should be covered under avenue plantation.
The Roads & Buildings Department was entrusted with the responsibility of identification of roads and road-wise action plan. The Municipal Commissioner was asked to take up the job of institution plantation, cleaning of bushes, de-silting of drainages, arrest of leakage of drinking water and closing of pit taps in Gajwel town. Special focus is being given to the constituency as it is being represented by the Chief Minister.
However, all the plans have hit a roadblock as there was no rain for the past one month. “The works have not yet been started as there were no rains. We can do just nothing but pray to the rain god to bless us to take up the work," said an officer.
‘Experiment bound to fail’Another officer informed that linking NREGS to sapling plantation work would not yield the expected result as experienced labourers were required to continue in the job instead of removing them after completion of 100 days work. “This experiment was done in the past and the officials put the condition of not exceeding more than 100 days for workers. Hence we wrote to higher officials that it was not possible to continue the work under the scheme,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
