NOIDA:
In a bid to increase the green cover, the Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts are set to start plantation drive on Sunday as the rainy season has started, officials said on Saturday.
The Gautam Budh Nagar district will plant 900,000 saplings and the neighbouring Ghaziabad will plant 790,000 saplings this season, said the officials.
In Gautam Budh Nagar, the Noida authority will plant 600,000 saplings, while the rest will be planted by other agencies that include Greater Noida authority, Yamuna Expressway authority, and the district administration. Other agencies are likely to start the plantation drive soon, the officials said. Last year, the Noida authority alone had planted 575,000 saplings.
The Ghaziabad district had planted 957,000 saplings last year.
The Noida authority has planned to plant fruit bearing plants and saplings of medicinal value in green belts and parks.
“The authority will plant ornamental saplings along the city roads so that the motorists enjoy a serene drive on the city roads. We have decided to plant medicinal saplings so that these trees benefit the residents. The medicinal plants include Amaltas, Sahjan, Giloy and Arjun, among others,” said Indu Prakash Singh, officer on special duty, Noida authority.
The UP government that aims to plant 6.5 crore saplings this season across the state has directed the officials to plant medicinal and fruit bearing trees so that the residents can make use of them once they are grown up.
{{/usCountry}}The UP government that aims to plant 6.5 crore saplings this season across the state has directed the officials to plant medicinal and fruit bearing trees so that the residents can make use of them once they are grown up.
{{/usCountry}}“Residents can enjoy fruits like mango, blackberry (jamun) and pomegranate (anar), among others,” said Singh.
Ghaziabad district officials said that social distancing would be maintained at plantation events in the city.
“Besides, proper sanitization must be carried out so that the spread of Covid-19 infection can be prevented. The staff must ensure that all directions of the state government are adhered to in totality during the plantation drive,” said Ajay Shanker Pandey, district magistrate, Ghaziabad.