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UN body pats Haryana on the back for green drive
Six months after 20,000 trees were planted at Jaunapur by the Haryana Forest Development Corporation (HFDC), it got a word of praise from the United Nations’ Environment Project director Satinder Bindra who visited the green site on Wednesday. Vimal Chander Joshi reports.
Six months after 20,000 trees were planted at Jaunapur by the Haryana Forest Development Corporation (HFDC), it got a word of praise from the United Nations’ Environment Project director Satinder Bindra who visited the green site on Wednesday.
“I am delighted to see that the trees are still healthy. The fencing which was done to avoid any encroachment on land seems to have worked. No down dropping has happened ever since they were planted in September,” Bindra said.
In the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, which was held in the capital last year, Delhi government’s forest department had nominated HFDC to plant, and later, maintain the trees for five years.
While moving around the green field, the official sounded content to see the gradual after effects of the plantation.
“The biodiversity is returning gradually. A fully grown tree provides sufficient oxygen to a family of four. One can imagine how many families (20,000X4 = 80,000) will stand to benefit from this drive,” added Bindra.
While cautioning the HFDC about the potential threat faced in the summer which looms large over these young plants, Bindra said: “Summer would be a challenge as the temperature reaches 46 degree Celsius here.”
The forest department officials, however, are geared up to take on the summer heat.
“We have installed two bore wells only to beat the heat. Once these plants survive until the first rain of season, they will be settled for life,” informed Subhash Yadav, regional manager, HFDC.
The massive afforestation drive was carried out by HFDC in collaboration with the United Nations which incorporated Jaunapur project under their Billion Trees Campaign.
Apart from this project, HFDC is partnering Delhi in more than a dozen green drives which include plantations in Aya Nagar, Shikarpur, Pandwala, Rewala and Rangpuri among others.
