The Chhattisgarh Government plans to have all its river banks lined with trees during the coming years in a bid to ensure a greener State besides protecting the environment.
Chief Minister Raman Singh has provided special emphasis on saplings to be planted on the river banks, officials informed. In a flashback, during November 2014, the Central Government had given its green signal for implementation of Green India Mission in Chhattisgarh and eleven forest mandals (circles) have been chosen in the first year, officials stated.
Eighty forest management committees and villages are being linked to the Green India Mission. The forest circles are Kawardha, Bilaspur, Marwahi, Katgora, Bastar, Kanker, South Kondagaon, Raipur, North Sarguja and South Sarguja. The forest department officers had informed that the landscape of forest mandals were demarcated. An awareness campaign, landscape survey, basic information, soil and water protection etc are undertaken during the first year.
A prospective plan worth `171.87 crore relating to 11 landscapes of selected forest circles was been sent to the Centre. Proposals worth `66.86 crore will be implemented in the first year. Chief Minister Raman Singh during the early months of 2014 had directed officials to prepare a `3,200-crore action plan for the next five years from the funds to be received from Centre’s ‘Campa Fund’. A `600-crore action plan would be prepared for each year, he said. About `3,200 crore ‘State Campa Fund’ is currently available with the Central Government.
Singh had also directed to launch a special drive for planting trees on the sides of road from Mainpat in Surguja and Jagadalpur to Chitrakot Waterfalls. He had directed to plant only one variety of saplings on one road, with which not only the beauty of the road would be enhanced, but it would get a new identification also. The Chhattisgarh Government had set a target of planting 7.58 crore saplings of different species under “Harier Chhattisgarh Abhiyan” (Green Chhattisgarh Campaign) in the State during 2014.
Chief Minister Raman Singh on June 17 last year while chairing a meeting had expressed annoyance over the industrial organisations not completing their target for planting saplings given in 2013 while stating that now they would not have the freedom to plant saplings on their own. Now, the industrial organisations would have to deposit the amount prescribed by the State government to the State Forest Development Corporation for planting of saplings. This apart, the Chief Secretary himself would now hold meetings every three months and review its progress, he had stated .
Singh had stated that industrial organisations have the social responsibility of making the environment pollution free. The Chief Minister asked senior officers of Forest Department to take the ‘Green Chhattisgarh Campaign’ seriously and to ensure better care of saplings to be planted under the campaign. He had stated that any kind of carelessness at any level would not be tolerated. Singh had stressed on making the State greener for creating a healthy environment. The objective of ‘Harihar Chhattisgarh Abhiyan’ should be to create jobs and a permanent source of income for people.
He had declared a target to plant 20 lakh saplings during the next four years to enhance greening of Naya Raipur region. In 2013, a total of 15 industrial organisations had been given target to plant saplings in 460 km long areas. In July 2014, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand had asked the industrial houses operating in Chhattisgarh to complete the plantation target assigned to them by the State government under its ‘Green Chhattisgarh’ campaign.
Reviewing the work underway in the State to meet the plantation targets, the Chief Secretary had also urged the industrialists to plant fruit bearing and shade providing trees such as mango, tamarind, neem, jamun, bel, peepal , amla, mahua karanj etc alongside roads . He told them not to plant chatim or saptaparni trees at any cost. “If the industrial units plan to take up some other place for plantation, they need to consult the concerned District Collector and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO),” the Chief Secretary said.
Moreover, the Chief Minister in 2014 had set his dream target of greening Chhattisgarh with massive and successful tree plantation drives to be taken up by the various Government departments as well as corporates operating in the State. The State Government, under the “Hariyar Chhattisgarh Abhiyan” (Green Chhattisgarh Campaign), had set department-wise target of planting 15.60 crore saplings in two years. In accordance with the allotted target, Government departments have started preparations. Singh has asked all the officers to work seriously for the achievement of the assigned target.
Forest Department officers had stated that the Department would plant 4.75 crore saplings of different species in 2014, whereas, the Forest Development Corporation would plant 97 lakh saplings, Revenue department and Panchayat and Rural Development department would jointly plant 1.55 crore saplings, Urban Administration department 1.50 lakh, Mining Resource Department, 35,000 and PWD would plant 1 lakh saplings.
As per the allotted target, in the year 2015, the Forest Department will plant 5 crore saplings of different species and the Forest Development Corporation will plant 1 crore saplings, whereas, other departments will jointly plant the remaining 2.02 crore saplings. In November 2014, Chief Minister Raman Singh had expressed his displeasure over the survival rate of saplings planted during the afforestation drive during the last few years. He had urged the Forest Department officials to work in co-ordination with various wings of the Forest Department and take people’s support to make the afforestation drive more effective.
Singh was reviewing the functioning of the Forest Department at the Mantralaya in Naya Raipur. He had stated that 50 per cent survival rate of plants is not satisfactory and issued strict orders to see that the survival rate increases to 100 per cent. Singh had called upon the officials to prepare a Master Plan for taking up cashew plantations over 10,000 hectares of land in Bastar revenue division.
He said that tissue culture facility should be utilised to see that ‘chironjee’, mahua and tamarind native breeds do not become extinct. A special drive should be launched with active public participation. The Chief Minister had stated that environmental clearances should be speeded up so that the development projects are not delayed. About 264 cases relating to 19,000 hectares of land were settled since the formation of the State. Singh had stated that land disputes cases should be settled as early as possible.
On July 2014, the Urban Administration Department (UAD) had issued directives to the officers to carry out a major plantation drive in their respective areas. The department has set a target of planting 1.75 lakh saplings for all municipalities. The Joint Secretary of Urban Administration Department had conveyed the target to be achieved by the Commissioners of municipal corporations and chief municipal officers of the municipalities and asked them to go for tree plantation according to the target.
He has also directed officers to provide a ‘monthly achievement report’ on plantation. The Department has set a target of plantation of 6300 saplings for Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) and 6000 saplings for each of the remaining nine municipal corporations. The municipalities were directed to carry out plantation of 1600 saplings. The 28 municipalities have been given a target of planting 51,200 saplings while nagar panchayats have handed over a target of plantation of 500 saplings each.
The officers have been instructed not to plant jatropha saplings on the side of the roads. They have been asked to plant those saplings on roadside which grow at a brisk rate. The plants which beautify the road should also be selected for plantation. They have been asked to plant Neem saplings also. Directives have also been issued to carry out dense plantation in the vacant land of the schools and hostels with campus greater than one acre.
For Bastar and Surguja districts, directives have been given for plantation of Kusum and Mahua tress besides bamboo. For remaining districts in the division, it has been asked for plantation of bamboo saplings. In August 2014, the Raigarh forest division reported that it had planted 7,17,000 trees of different species on 1,509 hectares in 57 locations identified by the district administration. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Raigarh, R K Pandey had stated that 4000 and 6000 saplings were planted in North Kewali Bargarh and South Kewali Bargarh respectively.
Similarly 20,000 saplings were planted in Prandera Kewali while 4000-5000 sapling were planted in East and West of Chitakhol. 10,000 sapling were planted in Daldalipatra Kewali Bargarh, he said. Pandey had stated that about 23,568, 1,61168, 5,200, 16,000, 4000, 25,000 and 34,627 saplings were planted in Karampar, katharmar Jo-b, Chitakathra, Deradihi Chote pandaramunda jobi, Kerakona chote Pandaramunda, Pata, and Tilgadahar respectively.