Congress Govt slashes Vanamahotsavam sapling plantation targets, blame lack of space

The State Forest Department has reduced the target for plantation of saplings from 20.02 crore in 2024 to 18.02 crore in 2025. For the next year, the target has been further cut down to 16.06 crore saplings

Hyderabad: The State Forest Department has reduced the target for plantation of saplings from 20.02 crore in 2024 to 18.02 crore in 2025. For the next year, the target has been further cut down to 16.06 crore saplings. Officials claim that this reduction was not due to a financial crunch but due to a “lack of sufficient space” to carry out the plantations.

Of the targeted 20.02 crore saplings for last year, the department claimed that 19.04 crore saplings were planted across the State, involving different departments. The previous government, with the intention of increasing the green cover in the State to 33 percent, had launched the ‘Telangana Ku Haritha Haram’ program on July 3, 2015. Accordingly, in the last nine years, 273 crore saplings were planted, much higher than the targeted 230 crore saplings.

It was also acclaimed as the third major human effort after China and Brazil to increase green cover. The Forest Survey of India 2021 report stated that the green cover in Telangana had increased by 7.7 percent due to the initiatives taken up by the previous State government. Right from celebrities and employees to students and colony welfare associations, all sections of society were actively involved in the plantation drives.

In fact, the Mahabubnagar district administration entered the record books as nearly 6,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) prepared over 1.14 crore seed balls and scattered them in forest areas and public places.

In addition to the nurseries owned by the Forest Department, plant nurseries were established in gram panchayats and major urban local bodies. Haritha Nidhi, a green fund initiative, was also launched for the effective implementation of the Haritha Haram program.

This year, plantations to commence from June

Forest Minister Konda Surekha held a review meeting with forest officials here on Tuesday. Plans are being made to commence the plantation drive, which has now been renamed as Vanamahotsavam by the Congress government, from the first week of June across the State.

“Since the monsoon arrived a bit early this year, extensive plantations should be undertaken in June, July, and August across the State,” the Minister said, also calling for a focus on planting local species, especially fruit and flower-bearing saplings.