KCR's ambitious plan for green Telangana

HYDERABAD: The TRS government has launched a new scheme 'Harita Haram' to make entire Telangana green. The state government has decided to launch a massive tree plantation programme to bring entire Telangana under green cover in the next three years.

The decision was taken at a review meeting chaired by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the Secretariat here on Friday. During the meeting, Rao while underscoring the need to make Hyderabad as Green city named the programme as 'Harita Haram'. As part of the programme a 'Green Week' will be observed every month with people's participation.

Ministers, MLAs, MPS and officers too would be included in the programme. It is estimated that the entire state requires 210 crore saplings to bring 33 per cent of the area under green cover.

It is estimated that the Hyderabad Metro Development Authority including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation requires 10 crore saplings for three years which means 3.30 crore saplings every year.

Similarly, each of the Assembly segments will require 40 lakh saplings and each village on an average requires 33,000 saplings. Considering that at present there are about 100 crore trees and calculating the survival rate the above estimate has been prepared.

The chief minister also wanted the officials to rejuvenate the existing forest coverage. Rao said that there has to be schematic plantation and the trees are to be grown like in Singapore. For this, he said the avenue plantations should not be in the old fashion. People should feel that they are walking in the forest and as such the afforestation need to be done.

The plantation will be taken up at all rivers, river beds, banks, in and around tank bunds near the shore area, compounds of all institutions and campuses of universities.

The chief minister directed the GHMC officials to make it mandatory to plant a tree before according building construction permissions. Species like silver oak, peepul, banyan, neem, pogada, and flowering plants etc need to be identified for plantation programme.

KCR suggested that the required funds can be drawn from out of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) or Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

Rao suggested to start one nursery for every four to five villages, where borewells may be dug. Rao asked officials to identify land in villages for nurseries. It is mandatory for all local bodies to discuss the Harita Haram programme in their general body meetings.

HARITA HAARAM

■ Telangana to have 33 p.c. green cover

■ The govt plans to plant 210 crore saplings

■ Green Week every month with participation of MLAs, minister

■ Mandatory to plant a tree before getting building construction permission

■ One nursery for every four to five villages