PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
While the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) prepares to plant over one lakh saplings on the occasion of Harela on July 16, a ground inspection of last year’s plantation drive has raised serious concerns over the survival and maintenance of the saplings to be planted.
Last year, the plantation drive covered several locations, including Kargi Transfer Station, Panache Valley, Danda Lakhond and the Harrawala zonal office. However, during visits to these sites, it was found that many of the saplings planted during the Harela campaign with great fanfare were either missing or had failed to survive.
Queried over the bleak plantation scenario, MCD officials admitted that there was no dedicated team or staff responsible for maintaining the saplings after they were planted, which affected their survival. Despite these concerns, the civic body will once again plant over one lakh saplings on Harela July 16 this year. The MCD Horticulture expert Parveen Mathur said that the plantation will include flowering and ornamental species such as Gulmohar, Amaltas, Jacaranda and Lagerstroemia.
Larger tree species, including Peepal, Banyan, Pilkhan, Arjun, Mango, Jamun and Amla will also be planted, while bamboo trees will be used to create green cover along boundary areas. All the saplings will be provided free of cost by the Forest department, he said.
Mathur said that unlike last year, the new plantation drive will focus on long-term survival and accountability. “The horticulture team will be responsible for maintaining the saplings for five years. Every sapling will be geo-tagged and fitted with a QR code to enable regular monitoring and tracking of its growth,” he said.
The introduction of geo-tagging, QR codes and five-year maintenance is aimed at improving the survival rate of the saplings and ensuring better accountability after many of last year’s Harela plantations failed to survive due to the lack of a dedicated maintenance mechanism.
