Green tag attached to Jharkhand is all set to get greener. The Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department is expecting that with all the continuing drives combine the State would grow in terms of forest density. It expects that more than three crore new grafts would go to their grooves in this year alone.

The new saplings would come up besides on the fallow Government land, private areas, footpaths and also inside the notified forest areas which have fallen prey to encroachers.

“Earlier, we had planned to plant 2.5 crore new saplings with the help of the Chief Minister Jan-Van Yojana. That target is there. Since we have several other initiatives in the form of the pledge coming from the Government employees and those to be planted around upcoming dovas and public participation, green cover is sure to take a remarkable surge in the State,” said Sukhdev Singh, Principal Secretary in the Department.

Regardless of being labeled as the State with nearly 30 per cent forest cover, Jharkhand has witnessed fast depletion in recent times. Besides fulfilling industrial and mining requirements, illegal tree felling by land mafias has also been a cause of concern that forced the Government to issue directive recently in order to make the forest land free from encroachment.

Taking the issue seriously, the Department has identified areas such as Chandil, Mango or Seraikela and other suburbs near to cities where maximum cases of illegal encroachment inside the forest have taken place.