Punjab Public Works Department will not only carry out a large scale tree plantation along the rural link roads across the state, but it is also considering geo-tagging the trees for its proper upkeep and to maintain a record.
The state PWD Minister Vijay Inder Singla, after a meeting with Tandrust Punjab Mission director Kahan Singh Pannu, said that the geo-tagging is also being mulled upon for monitoring the status of the trees planted.
Singla said that many a times, plantation drives have been undertaken by different agencies but it has been observed that due to lack of upkeep, the plantation results are not significant. “Hence, it is being considered to effectively map and enumerate the details of the saplings planted through geo-tagging,” he said.
Singla said that PWD will actively promote greening of rural link roads with the participation of the community, farmers, private sector, NGOs and government institutions and departments. “This would provide much needed shade on glaring hot roads during summer, arrest soil erosion at the embankment slopes, moderate the effect of wind and incoming radiation and augment in maintaining biodiversity,” he said.
To chalk out the detailed strategy for plantation and the related activities, a high level meeting with the stakeholders has been scheduled for June 27 so that the spadework is done well in time for plantation.