Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday launched ‘Tree Transplanter Machine’ at the Botanical Garden by performing a puja here.
The Mission will help in protecting and preserving trees which are decades-old. Many trees are generally cut down for road-widening and for other construction purposes. The Tree Transplanter Machines will help in uprooting trees along with soil and roots and shift them to some other place, officials stated.
Forest Minister Mahesh Gagda, Forest Department Principal Secretary RP Mandal, Principal Conservator of Forests AA Bohaj , Principal Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) BN Dwivedi, Additional Principal Conservators of Forests, Mudit Kumar Singh, Rajesh Govardhan, Narsingh Rao and Kaushalendra Singh and a number of Forest Department officers were present at the function.
A 30-feet Rosewood tree was transplanted at the Botanical Gardens in the presence of Chief Minister Raman Singh. The tree was uprooted earlier during the Raipur-Dhamtari road widening works. The Tree Transplantor Machine was used in the entire process of uprooting and transplanting to a new place.
Chief Minister Raman Singh congratulated the Forest Department in shifting the tree and said that new era had started in the environment protection.
The Naya Raipur Botanical Gardens will be an example of new process in the entire State.
He said that 250 trees will be shifted from behind the Raipur Medical College during the road widening works and transplanted on the Botanical Gardens premises.
The officers said that there are 95 per cent chances of trees surviving the ordeal of shifting. It takes about half-an-hour to uproot and transplant a tree with new scientific process.
Chief Minister Raman Singh accorded in-principle approval for formation of a separate ‘Tree Plantation Forest Circle’ under Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) for ensuring organized plantation work in Naya Raipur during May this year.
The Chief Minister stated that Naya Raipur is being developed in an area of 237 square kilometres and it is necessary that the people living in the new capital would need a green environment. It is our priority to develop Naya Raipur as a ‘Green City’, he said.
During the meeting, the scientists from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru had also made a presentation to suggest ways of greening Naya Raipur.
The Chief Minister had also held discussions with the scientists and the NRDA officials on preparing an action plan for the greening project for the new capital.
The scientists making the presentation in the meeting said that Naya Raipur which is being developed as the city of the 21st century would be unique in the sense that the green belt, botanical garden and the Eco park would be under a single umbrella.
They also suggested to develop green patches in the residential zones.
Early this month, Chief Minister Raman Singh had directed the Forest Department officials to come out with an elaborate Action Plan for an intensive plantation drive to be taken up in the entire State under Hariyar Chhattisgarh ( Green Chhattisgarh) drive before arrival of monsoons.
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.
Notably, the State government in 2014-15 had decided to have all its river banks lined with trees during the coming years in a bid to ensure a greener Chhattisgarh besides protecting the environment in an era of negative impact of climate change.
Singh has provided special emphasis on saplings to be planted on the river banks , officials informed.
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 Surguja.
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.
Raman Singh during the early months of 2014 had directed officials to prepare a Rs 3,200-crore action plan for the next five years from the funds to be received from Centre's 'Campa Fund'. A Rs 600-crore action plan would be prepared for each year.
About Rs 3,200 crore ‘State Campa Fund’ is currently available with the Central government, officials stated.
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 State 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.