BHUBANESWAR: The State Government, on Tuesday, decided to launch massive plantation drive on the banks of Mahanadi and other major rivers of the State.The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The meeting decided to develop huge green patch along river Mahanadi with plantation of 2 crore saplings under “Green Mahanadi Mission” in 2018-19.
The greening initiatives will also be taken up along the river sides of Ib and Tel, two major tributaries of Mahanadi and subsequently other major rivers of the State will be covered under the programme, official sources said. The plantation programme will be implemented on government and private land available on both sides of the river. Apart from forest land, around 75,760 hectares of government land and 47,470 hectares of private land have been identified for for the purpose. Mostly mango, jack fruit and jamun trees will be planted, sources said.The aim of the programme is to rejuvenate rivers and prevent stream bank erosion by keeping the river banks stable.