Lucknow, June 25 (PTI) Giving an impetus to environmental conservation, Uttar Pradesh will celebrate Van Mahotsav from July 1 to 7, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The forest and wildlife department has completed all preparations to plant 35 crore saplings across the state, it said.
“The department, working in close coordination with various other departments, has already gathered 52.33 crore saplings for the plantation drive. Advance soil work has been completed on 72,912 hectares of land to ensure smooth implementation of the campaign,” it said.
A higher number of saplings have been kept ready in anticipation that some of the plants may suffer damages.
A review meeting was held by Forest and Environment Minister Arun Kumar Saxena to monitor progress in all divisions, except Meerut and Gorakhpur where it will be held soon, the statement said.
“With Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s strong commitment to boosting green cover, Uttar Pradesh is set to once again lead the nation with its ambitious target of planting 35 crore saplings this year,” the statement said.
“The Van Mahotsav is part of the government’s broader plan to protect the environment and increase forest areas,” it added.
Nodal officer for the Van Mahotsav, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Deepak Kumar, said the forest department has gathered 52.33 crore saplings at its district and divisional offices across the state, with contributions from different departments.
“Out of these, the forest department prepared about 47.2 crore saplings, the horticulture department contributed 1.55 crore, the silk department 0.33 crore, and 3.17 crore came from private organisations,” he explained.
Kumar said these saplings include 18.60 crore teak and sheesham, 10.79 crore fruit plants such as mango and guava, 5.75 crore medicinal saplings including drumstick and neem, 5.62 crore ornamental plants like amaltas and siris, and 0.29 crore saplings for large banyan and peepal trees.
The nodal officer also said that advance soil preparation has been done across 8,439 sites spanning a total of 72,912 hectares of land. He said a plan has been prepared in consultation with all the divisional officials to achieve the record plantation target.
Kumar said divisional review meetings have already been held in Lucknow, Ayodhya, Devipatan, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Mirzapur, Prayagraj and Varanasi. Meetings for Meerut and Gorakhpur divisions will take place at their divisional headquarters soon, he added.
“To ensure the success of Van Mahotsav, forest officials are working closely with local non-governmental organisations, schools, colleges, volunteer groups and social organisations. Efforts are underway to promote awareness across the state to increase public participation in making Uttar Pradesh greener and protecting the environment,” he said. PTI KIS RUK RUK
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