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Smriti Vatika: Yeida, Noida authority hold plantation drives in memory of Covid warriors
Greater Noida The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) and the Noida authority held plantation drives on Sunday to “honour Covid warriors for their sacrifice and service to the people”
Greater Noida The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) and the Noida authority held plantation drives on Sunday to “honour Covid warriors for their sacrifice and service to the people”. Both the authorities named the dedicated green areas, respectively, as ‘Smriti Vatika’.
Yeida held the plantation drive at a 10-acre vacant area along the Yamuna Expressway in Sector 28, which will be developed as Smriti Vatika. The Noida authority, meanwhile, has decided to develop three parks — one each in sectors 62, 94 and 137 — to honour Covid-19 warriors.
“With Smriti Vatika, we want to honour the fallen Covid warriors. We planted at least 2,000 saplings at the memorial park, and seven areas in Sector 28. We have planted 11,000 saplings at seven sites during this plantation drive,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer (CMO), Yeida.
The Yeida has appealed to the people to plant a sapling in memory of the Covid warriors at the Smriti Vatika. The authority will provide saplings and other facilities for the same. “The drive to plant a sapling in the memory of Covid warriors will continue during the monsoon. We will distribute saplings to the people for free,” Singh added.
The Noida authority, meanwhile, planted 258,000 saplings at 39 locations, including three parks in the city during Sunday’s drive. “We distributed 10,000 saplings to the locals, who joined us in the plantation drive, for free,” Indu Prakash Singh, officer on special duty, Noida authority, said on Sunday, adding that the authority has decided to plant at least 70,000 saplings this monsoon.
The Uttar Pradesh government has set a target to Yeida to plant as many as 50,000 trees the monsoon.
Unique plantation drive in Greater Noida
During a special drive on Sunday, the Greater Noida authority planted as many as 10,000 saplings. It has appealed to the people to plant saplings in the memory of senior citizens who lost their lives due to Covid-19, in the green belt of sectors 10 and 12, along the city’s roads. The authority aims to plant 100,000 saplings during the monsoon this year. “We will provide free saplings to people who want to plant a sapling in the memory of family elders. We have not dedicated this park to the Covid warriors,” said to a spokesperson of the Greater Noida authority.
The UP Government had a target to plant 25 crore trees across the state this year. Gautam Budh Nagar had a target to plant total 887,000 plants in the district. The district forest department planted 300,000 saplings and other agencies together planted 924,000 saplings on Sunday, following state governments order.
“We conducted tree plantation at 826 different sites across the district and all departments joined hands to achieve that target,” said Pramod Kumar, forest officer, GB Nagar.
