NEW DELHI: Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday kickstarted the mega plantation drive — ‘Van Mahotsav’ in Central Ridge. The government plans to plant 35 lakh saplings this financial year, he said.
Over the next 15 days, the plantation drive will be carried out in different areas of the city. “This 15 -day event will culminate on July 25 at Asola Bhatti Mines by planting more than 1 lakh saplings. It will serve as a catalyst for the tree planting campaign featured in the 14 points of the Summer Action Plan,” said Rai.
The campaign will also be carried out across the 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi. “To improve the environment of Delhi, the work has been started on 10 hectares of land in the first phase and further seven and a half thousand hectares area will be restored under this campaign. The Central Ridge area would be freed from Lantana and Prosopis juliflora,” he said.