Aimed at preserving the greenery of City Beautiful, the UT Forest Department has joined hands with educational institutions, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Non-Government organisations (NGOs) in Chandigarh.
With the participation of these stakeholders, the UT Forest Department on Thursday announced to launch intensive plantation drive to commemorate ‘Van Mahotsav-2014’ in a big way in the city.
In the series of events to be organised during week-long ‘Van Mahotsav-2014’, a ‘Paudh Mela’ was inaugurated by KK Sharma, Advisor to the UT Administrator at lake Sports Complex on Thursday. On the occasion, Sharma encouraged the residents to plant saplings and also, distributed few saplings to the people present there.
The Paudh Mela would continue from July 24 to 26 (Timings: 7 am to 11 am, 4 pm to 7 pm) in front of lake Sports Complex. In ‘Paudh Mela’, three stalls of Forest Department, Municipal Corporation and Horticulture wing of Engineering Department are stationed where saplings would be distributed free of cost or at subsidised rate depending on species.
More than 200 school students, representatives from NGOs and Resident Welfare Associations attended the launch of Paudh Mela. After inauguration of ‘Paudh Mela’, a plantation drive 2014 was launched at IRB Campus, Sarangpur where ‘Alstonia scholaris (Sapt Parni)’ sapling was planted.
The UT Forest Department has also requested residents of Chandigarh
to participate in ‘Van Mahotsav’ and plant more and more saplings so as to make Chandigarh a clean and
green city.
To encourage the city residents to preserve the green cover of Chandigarh, the UT Forest Department will organise various days like Eco-Club day, NGO day, Resident Welfare Association day, Herbal day in next four days to plant saplings of tree species and herbal plants during the ongoing monsoon season.
UT Conservator of Forests Santosh Kumar said, “Eco-Club will be organised on July 25. On this day, all the eco-clubs formed in the schools of Chandigarh will carry out plantation drive in their respective areas.”
He said, “On July 26, NGO day will be celebrated and NGOs registered under PIP with UT Forest Department will organise plantation drives at various locations across the city. Resident Welfare Association Day will be held on July 28. On this day, all the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) will plant saplings in their jurisdiction.
“Herbal Day will be organised on July 30 and herbal plantation will be carried out by school and colleges in their premises,” he added.
According to the Indian State of Forest Report 2013, Chandigarh’s green cover, which includes the forest cover and tree cover, has increased from 26.78 square km in 2011 to 27.26 sq. km in 2013. However, the city’s green cover is less as compared to the 2009 data when it was 28 sq. km. The report, released on July 8, was compiled by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), which is under the Ministry Environment and Forests.