Uttar Pradesh must have given Pakistan a run for its money when it scripted history by planting five crore saplings with over eight lakh employees jostling to make certain pockets of the State greener.
The plantations that began at 10 am on July 11 will continue for the next 24 hours.
The previous record of most trees planted in 24 hours by a team of 300 is 8,47,275 and was achieved by the Sindh Forest Department at Kharochan, District Thatta, Pakistan, on June 22 2013.
Bhutan holds the Guinness record of plainting most trees in one hour in Thimphu. On June 2, 2015 a team of 100 volunteers planted 49,672 trees in just 60 minutes.
This would be second attempt of Uttar Pradesh to register its name in Guinness Book as it has on November 7, 2015 created a record for the “largest distribution of saplings”, donating 1,053,108 young trees to ten locations across Uttar Pradesh.
While kicking off the campaign in Kannauj, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav said that planting over five crore trees would spread awareness and enthusiasm towards afforestation and environmental conservation.”
The world is realising that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change — and Uttar Pradesh has made the beginning in this regard,” he said.
“The recent Forest Survey Report that was released by the Government of India shows that in UP there has been a 261 square kilometers increase in the forest cover and tree cover. The report attributes the increase in forest cover to better plantation and better protection measures of the plants” he said.
Principal secretary Forest Sanjeev Saran said: “We are trying to maintain full transparency. The plantation is being monitored by the auditors of Guinness World record. They are out on the field and supervising plantation drive. We do not know who they are and where are they at this point of time. They are working incognito–and this suits us.”
Saran said that the plantation is being carried out in 6,161 sites across the State and the polygons of these sites have already been uploaded.
The Government is following the guidelines of the Guinness World Records guidelines in letter and spirit. The saplings had to be small enough so that their entire root systems could be transplanted along with them, which would allow them to grow properly when replanted. The trees also had to be a species appropriate for the chosen region of distribution.
He said that for the first time Government has roped in TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) for carrying out the carbon sequestration connected with the exercise.
“The Institute will be carrying out carbon sequestration in which the carbon units that have been absorbed because of the plantation will be measured and these can be used for getting carbon credits in future in areas of trade” he said
Over eighty species of plants are being planted. This includes Sheesham (North Indian Rosewood), Sagwan (Indian teak), Neem (Azadirachta indic), Arjuna ( Terminalia arjuna), Tamarind, Mango, Guava, mahua (Madhuca longifolia), Jamun (Syzygium cumini), peepal (Ficus religiosa or sacred fig) and many other varities which of trees which have medicinal value, Saran said.
It was a joyous mood at Kukrail forest area in lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh where students, government employees and NGO volunteers planted over 10,000 trees. “I am planting Peepal (sacred fig) because I read in my book that this tree release maximum oxygen. In cities we need oxygen – there is so much of pollution,” Shashwat Rai, a class VIII student of a local private school said. “I will check its progress regularly … I do not want this plant to die,” he said
Samajwadi Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav planted eight saplings at the Kukrail Forest Reserve which included saplings of ashok, bargad, mango, pipal, aola, bel, palash and madar. Kukrail saw a total of 35,000 saplings being planted out of the targeted 13 lakhs for the lucknow district.
Appealing to the people that they should plant more trees and make the campaign successful Yadav said that the peepal and neem should be planted in maximum numbers because they emitted oxygen twenty four hours a day.
He further said “There were several trees in my native village and people used to worship the peepul tree because it gave oxygen twenty four hours a day. It is important to have will
power, courage and determination and those who are double minded cannot accomplish anything. Those who criticize me are my friends but there is no dearth of flatters in our party”.
The ocassion witnessed an enthusiastic participation of students and the general public who participated to make the campaign successful.