Punjab Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on Friday directed the officers to prepare a special campaign of tree plantation in urban and slum areas of the State.
The Minister, presiding over a high-level meeting with senior officers of the Forest Department regarding ‘Mission Tandarust Punjab’, also instructed the officers to start a plantation drive in the urban areas with the help of non-government organisations (NGOs) and clubs.
Stressing that a plantation drive would be initiated at all the places having congenial atmosphere, the Minister has asked all the district officers to prioritize distribution of medicinal plants to the people living in multi-storey buildings.
To make ‘Mission Tandarust Punjab’ a grand success, the Department has also decided to plant two crore saplings in the current year while more than 10 lakh saplings have already been distributed so far. Dharamsot said to increase the green cover in the State, various others departments would also be involved in the Mission.
He categorically said two crore saplings will be planted in the areas under Public Works Department with the help of NGOs, schools, colleges, universities, various government and private offices, Panchayats and municipal councils. “Department’s i-Hariyali app is successfully running and more than 80,000 persons have downloaded this app so far, whereas we have received 35,000 orders to get different types of saplings,” he said.
He said up till now, five lakh saplings have been distributed through this app, whereas under different schemes, more than five lakh saplings have been provided to the people.