New Delhi, March 12 -- Delhi's dedication to environmental conservation has soared to new heights as the city surpasses its goal of planting two crore saplings within five years, achieving this feat in just four years.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai revealed the impressive progress in the capital's green cover under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Rai highlighted that Delhi's green cover has risen from 20 per cent in 2013 to 23.6 per cent in 2021, making it the largest green area among Indian cities. Rai stated, "The plantation drive in Delhi has been extremely helpful in reaching our objective of reducing the pollution levels in Delhi. We have been diligently
planting more trees to increase the green cover in Delhi."
Emphasising the government's dedication to environmental initiatives, Rai confirmed that all promises made by Chief Minister Kejriwal during the previous elections had been fulfilled. Among these commitments was the pledge to plant two crore saplings and trees in Delhi within five years. Rai proudly announced, "We are happy to announce that we have achieved that target within four years. We have already planted 2 crore and 5 lakh trees in Delhi in the last four years."
Looking ahead, Rai outlined the government's ambitious plan for the upcoming fiscal year, aiming to plant an additional 63 lakh plants through collaboration with 21 departments across Delhi. These targets have been allocated to various departments, with the Forest Department leading the effort by planting 20.06 lakh trees. Other departments, including DDA, MCD, NDMC, and PWD, have also been assigned specific targets to contribute to this green initiative.
In addition to setting new targets, the government has directed these departments to conduct third-party audits to assess the survival rate and condition of trees planted over the past four years. This proactive approach aims to ensure the success and sustainability of future plantation efforts.
With the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on the horizon, the government is keen to kick-start the plantation drive as soon as the monsoon season begins.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.