Children dressed up in leopard and flamingo outfits participate in the tree plantation drive. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav )
Children dressed up in leopard and flamingo outfits participate in the tree plantation drive. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav )
Kicking off the first phase of Vanayukta Shivar — a four-year mission to increase forest cover in the state by 50 crore trees — residents, non-governmental organisations, corporate employees, schools and government employees on Friday collectively planted more than 2 crore trees.
Forest minister of the state Sudhir Mungantiwar said that around seven Guinness world records were broken during the massive plantation drive. The department had made arrangements to achieve the 2019 target by growing indigenous saplings in nurseries set up across the state, he said.
With registration of pits having ended 24 hours ahead of the day of the drive, plantation officials said that they had their hands full, attending to umpteen queries requesting registration for the programme. The state recorded 3,11,66,057 numbers of target seeding; however higher forest officials collecting data till late evening on Friday said that the number could be increased to about 50,00,000 as large scale plantation drives went on across the state.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that now since plantation was done, the government would focus on conservation.
“We realised that six-month-old saplings have a survival rate of 50 to 60 per cent whereas two to three-year-old saplings have about 80 per cent chances. So, we have created nurseries across the state to grow plants that will be planted during the Vanayukta Shivar,” said Mr Fadnavis.
He also asked Mr Mungantiwar to implement tree credit and green credit systems where they would create an army of conservationists who would only work towards maintaining the green cover of respective vicinities. He said the long standing demand for space to build a mangrove research centre at Mahim Nature Park would soon materialise.
Directorate General of Information and Public Relations confirmed that until 6 pm, the 2 crore plantation target had been achieved as the state recorded about 2,22,82,130 trees being planted.
