Telangana is going to set three records through the 2016 instalment of its flagship Harithaharam program being kicked off on Friday.
Telangana is going to set three records through the 2016 instalment of its flagship Harithaharam program being kicked off on Friday.
The green initiative being inaugurated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao by planting a sapling at Choutappal on the outskirts of Hyderabad in the Nalgonda district will set a record when it reaches its target of 46 crore saplings being planted in two weeks.
In Hyderabad alone arrangements have been made to plant 25 lakh saplings, which will be another record when it is done.
The third record is that the greenery program will be taken up on a whopping 163 km stretch on the national highway connecting Vijayawada.
The aim of the green drive is to increase the forest cover in the State to 33% from the existing 24% (the national green cover is reportedly just 22%). The green drive is expected to help bring rains, check pollution and send monkeys back to the forests. And in the days to come, the State hopes to adorn a captivating green look, with a pleasant environment on the national highways lined by colourful trees with flowers and bearing fruits, and covered by plenty of shade.
The massive afforestation drive beginning Friday will continue for two weeks, and as many as 25 departments of the government have prepared plans to make the green initiative a success. KCR has asked the officials to distribute the saplings to the people through hundreds of nurseries and distribution points. He has also asked cabinet ministers, MLAs, MPs, MLCs, other peoples' representatives, officials, self-help groups, women, NGOs, students and the people in general to participate in a big way to make the green drive a success in their home districts, towns and villages.
As part of planting 230 crore saplings through 4,213 nurseries in the next three years, 100 crore saplings will be planted in forest areas, 120 crore saplings for social forestry, and 10 crore saplings in Hyderabad. A total of 10 crore saplings will be planted in parks, offices and vacant places including 7 crores in the HMDA limits and 3 crores in the GHMC limits. Officials are getting ready to plant 25 lakh saplings in Hyderabad from 100 nurseries on July 11.
The Opposition Congress' reaction has been mixed. While CLP leader K Jana Reddy stated that the plantation would help future generations in a great manner and called upon the people to participate in the program in a big way, TPCC working president Bhatti Vikramarka alleged that corruption was rampant in the implementation of the scheme.