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CM Yogi to kickstart statewide plantation drive from Lucknow’s ‘Akbar Nagar’
UP sets target of planting 36.50 crore saplings on July 20; people interested in planting saplings can contact forest department nurseries to avail saplings of a variety of trees: Minister
LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will kickstart a statewide plantation drive on Saturday (July 20) from Lucknow’s erstwhile Akbar Nagar, along the Kukrail river, the area where over 10 lakh sq ft land, was freed from encroachments. A total of 10,000 saplings here and 36.50 crore across UP will be planted as part of the drive.
Offices, schools, and institutions will halt regular activities for half a day to participate in the tree planting endeavour - ‘Ped Lagao, Ped Bachao Abhiyan 2024’.
“The target is to plant 36.50 crore saplings in one day and we are sure it will be met. People interested in planting saplings can contact forest department nurseries to avail saplings of a variety of trees, including fruit-bearing trees,” said forest and climate change minister Arun Kumar Saxena addressing a press conference on Thursday.
The chief minister conducted a video conference with gram pradhans, panchayat chairpersons, district panchayat chairpersons, and mayors of nagar nigams.
“Environmental protection has been our top priority, with over 168 crore saplings planted by the state government in the last seven years. It is gratifying to note that 75-80% of these saplings have been confirmed as safe in third-party audits,” said the CM.
“Among the initiatives are heritage tree gardens where saplings made from 948 heritage trees in the state will be planted. Eleven districts will be getting this garden,” said head of forest force SK Sharma.
“To ensure protection of planted saplings, several new initiatives have been planned, including safety of planted saplings and irrigation facility,” said Sunil Chaudhary and Sanjay Srivastava, senior forest officials.
Plantation along the border with Nepal and other states is one initiative. Under this, Mitra Van (friend forest) will be developed at 35 places in UP. These places are in districts that border with Nepal or other states such as MP, Rajasthan, Himanchal, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh.
Forest Minister Arun Kumar Saxena will also plant saplings in Lucknow. Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya will plant saplings in Prayagraj and Kaushambi, while deputy CM Brajesh Pathak will do so in Unnao and Kanpur Dehat.
By 2026, the state aims to plant a total 175 crore saplings and increase green cover to 15% from the current 9.23%. This year, the specially designed Bal Van, Virasat Vatika, village level forest and other such segments will be developed in the city and rural pockets to connect more people to the drive.
‘Greenery to cover 4.5-km stretch along Kukrail river’
Divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob conducted a surprise inspection of the site along Kukrail river near ‘Akbar Nagar’ to review preparations for the plantation drive. During the visit, landscape work was found to be underway. She highlighted that greenery would cover a stretch of 4.5 km along the river.
The development of ‘Soumitra Forest’ and ‘Shakti Forest’ on about 25 acres would feature various oxygen-producing trees.
The tree species to be planted include 32 varieties such as sheesham, jamun, bel, Arjun, mango, tamarind, amla, jackfruit, and guava. Additionally, 10 herb species like sarpagandha and aloe vera, along with shrubs like lemon, karonda, and chandni, will also be planted.
“Planting saplings is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and keeping our environment clean,” she remarked. This includes 6,000 large saplings and 4,000 small ones planted using the Miyawaki method.
Plantation drive along expressways
The state has initiated a large-scale plantation drive along the expressways. As part of this, more than 200,000 saplings will be planted along four major expressways.
Additionally, 100,000 saplings will be planted in the UP Defence Industrial Corridor. The UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (Upeida) is spearheading this initiative.
Over 237,000 plants will be planted on four other expressways managed by Upeida. This includes 15,000 plants on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, 106,000 on the Purvanchal Expressway, 25,000 on the Bundelkhand Expressway, and 91,600 on the Gorakhpur Link Expressway.
Furthermore, 100,000 plants will be planted in the UP Defence Industrial Corridor. These will include 66,700 saplings of peepal, pakad, banyan, gular, and neem trees, along with a large number of fruit-bearing trees.
Ministers to plant saplings
Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi will plant saplings in Ayodhya and Deoria, cabinet minister Suresh Khanna in Shahjahanpur and Pilibhit and jal shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh in Banda and Chitrakoot. Other ministers including Baby Rani Maurya will plant saplings in Agra and Firozabad, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary in Mathura and Aligarh, Dharampal Singh in Bareilly and Badaun, Anil Rajbhar in Varanasi and Mirzapur, Rakesh Sachan in Fatehpur and Hamirpur, AK Sharma in Azamgarh and Mau, and Yogendra Upadhyay in Farrukhabad and Etawah.
