UP speeds up herbal belt project

In these corona times, when the Ayush department is emphasising on the value of herbs and medicinal plants, the Uttar Pradesh government has scaled up its ‘Herbal

In these corona times, when the Ayush department is emphasising on the value of herbs and medicinal plants, the Uttar Pradesh government has scaled up its ‘Herbal Roads’ project.

At least one road in each district would become a herbal road, and all those saplings that require protection from animals would have tree-guards. (ht)

By July 15, the government would plant traditional Indian medicinal and herbal plants on both sides of 800 km of existing state and national highways, to keep air-borne and bacterial diseases at bay.

An initiative of the UP public works department (UP-PWD), the drive for this year began on July 1 and would go on till July 15.

“These plants would protect the environment, add greenery to the roads, cut soil erosion and at the same time would be a repository of medicines for people. We began the herbal roads programme in 2018 by making 18 roads (total length 187 km) in the state herbal by planting 6,690 saplings. Then the following year, a total of 16,029 saplings were planted on 53 roadsides (total length 311 km). This time the programme will be replicated in all the 175 PWD divisions of the state,” said deputy chief minister and PWD minister, Keshav Prasad Maurya in a statement.

The department is planting Mashaparni (Blue Wiss), Saptparni (Seven Leaf tree), Ratnajot (Jatropha), Sahjan (Drumstick tree), Mentha, Lemon Grass, Bhringraj (False Daisy), kapur (Camphor), Brahmi, Aonla (Indian Gooseberry), Harsingar (Night Jasmine), Mandukparni (Spade Leaf), Vach (Flag Root), Giloy, Sindwar (Chaste tree), Tulsi, Ashwagandha, turmeric and several others plants and shrubs. All these plants have varied medicinal uses.

“After this year’s drive ends, nearly 1,300 km of roads in UP would become herbal roads and the total length of the herbal green belt would be 2,600 km as it would stretch on both sides of the roads,” said a PWD officer.

At least one road in each district would become a herbal road and all saplings that require protection from animals would have tree-guards.