Haryana forest minister announces city forest for Gurugram

State forest minister Rao Narbir Singh said that the forest department has targeted planning one crore saplings across Haryana and that 2 lakh will be planted in Gurugram alone.

During an event organized for the forest department to meet RWAs representatives interested in planting trees and participating in afforestation activities, state forest minister Rao Narbir Singh said the state government will plant a city forest in Gurugram and the land for the same would be identified before August 15.

Addressing the gathering, Rao Narbir Singh said that greening Gurugram was the responsibility of every citizen and a major push would be given make afforestation a collective exercise. (Manoj Kumar/HT File Photo)

Addressing the gathering, Singh said that greening the city was the responsibility of every citizen and a major push would be given make afforestation a collective exercise. “The land for city forest will be identified before August 15 and we plan to make the best in NCR,” he said, adding that such an effort was necessary to bring back greenery to Gurugram, which has witnessed a lot of tree-cutting for infrastructure projects in the last few years.

Singh added that the forest department has targeted planning one crore saplings across Haryana and that 2 lakh will be planted in Gurugram alone.

The minister also cited the state government-launched programme in which students from classes six to 12 have been given the task of planting trees and caring for them to ensure their survival. “We want RWAs, private firms, corporates to take the initiative and collaborate with the GMDA to increase tree plantation in the city,” he said.

An official of the Gurujal project informed that 30 water bodies have been identified in the district which can be developed and used for rainwater harvesting.

On this occasion, the Central Park RWA said that they would like to plant trees along a 2-km stretch of road adjacent to their society. Around 35 RWAs from Dwarka Expressway also promised that they would take active part in the plantation drive during this monsoon.