PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
The Dehradun district administration has set a target of planting 15.5 lakh saplings in the district during the month-long Harela festival, which will begin on July 16 as part of Uttarakhand’s silver jubilee celebrations. Dehradun district magistrate Ashish Chauhan asserted that the aim of this campaign is to increase green cover and promote eco-tourism through thematic plantation drives across the district.
Chairing a review meeting at the collectorate on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the campaign, Chauhan said that the plantation drive should become a people’s movement rather than just a symbolic programme. He directed all government departments to identify plantation sites. To ensure transparency and effective implementation, each department will appoint a nodel officer who will prepare a micro-level action plan.
The DM directed all departments to complete preparations, including pit digging, arranging organic manure, facilitating tree guards and transportation of saplings by July 10.
Officials said that around 50 per cent of the saplings will be fruit-bearing and fodder species. A special Green Control Room will be set up to monitor the month-long campaign, while the planted saplings will be maintained for the next five years to ensure their survival. Institutions including the Indian Military Academy, Survey of India, ONGC and ITBP will also participate in the plantation drive to help develop quality forests and support eco-tourism in the district.
