DDA plants 6.62 lakh saplings
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has planted more than 6.62 lakh trees and shrubs within days of launching its Mega Plantation Drive, achieving close to 30 per cent of its overall target for the season.
According to the DDA, the tally includes over 37,000 trees and more than 6.25 lakh shrubs planted across the city’s parks, ridge forests, biodiversity parks and other green zones.
The DDA said the exercise is being carried out under the direction of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who has asked officials to focus on ecological restoration and expansion of the city’s green cover. The LG has also directed departments to monitor the plantations closely to ensure the saplings survive, the statement said.
The drive began in the first week of July and will run until mid-September this year. Officials said the plantation is focused on native and climate-resilient species, aimed at improving air quality, recharging groundwater, creating wildlife habitat and strengthening the city’s capacity to absorb carbon emissions.
The initiative is part of a larger exercise launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on July 7, under the “Mission 70 Lakh” plantation programme tied to the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign.
