In line with the State Government’s ‘Hariyar Chhattisgarh Yojana’, NTPC Korba has targetted to create 25 kms green-belt with 25,000 plantation along the Korba-Katghora road for the year 2014-15.
As part of the programme, a cheque amounting to Rs2,09,16,875 was presented to JS Paikra, Divisional Manager, Chhattisgarh Forest Development Corporation, Korba by Prakash Tiwari, GGM, NTPC Korba in the presence of District Collector Reena Babasaheb Kangle, at the latter's office here on Wednesday, a NTPC press release issued here stated.
N Bhaduri, AGM (TS) and Debasmita Tripathy, DGM (HR) NTPC Korba were present on the occasion.
It is to be noted here that a contract has been awarded to Chhattisgarh Forest Development Corporation for the aforesaid job with provision of maintenance for five years under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives taken up by NTPC Korba.
The station has been committed to the cause of Hariyar Chhattisgarh and has been giving special emphasis on plantation drive every year. While a green-belt of 3 lakh plantation was created by the station during 2013-14, similar large-scale plantation was completed in 2012-13, it stated.
Meanwhile, under a special drive announced by Chief Minister Raman Singh, more than 5.75 lakh saplings were planted by the month of September this year across the State under ‘Harihar Chhattisgarh Yojana’ in the areas coming under various forest circles of the State.
The Chief Minister had set a target of sevencrore saplings to be planted by the various departments for the current year out of which the State Forest Department itself was given the target of planting 4.50 crore saplings.
Apart from the Forest Department, many social organisations and other Government departments are also helping with planting of the saplings in the State. The statistics on the number of saplings planted are being collected by respective forest circles which would then be compiled and given a final shape before they would be publicly released.
As per the information available with the Forest Department, a total of 5.59 crore saplings of various species have already been planted in areas coming under various range offices in the State.
Out of the 5.59 crore saplings planted by September this year, a total of 4.29 crore saplings were planted under the Forest Department's own saplings plantation programme while 30 lakh saplings were distributed.
Moreover, for the first time in Chhattisgarh, 50,000 saplings were planted in 160 Government schools of the State. Every school had been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the saplings.Every Forest Division has five schools where saplings have been planted under their protection. A sum of Rs50,000 had been approved by the State Government for every school to create a security perimeter boundary.