VIJAYAWADA: Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest and Environment Pawan Kalyan has called upon all industries in the State to strictly comply with the requirement of maintaining at least 33 percent green cover on their premises, stressing that environmental protection is as important as industrial development for the State’s economic progress.
In an official release on Monday, Pawan Kalyan said every industry must strictly follow environmental regulations and Pollution Control Board (PCB) guidelines and take responsibility for developing and maintaining green cover within its premises.
He urged industrialists to treat environmental conservation as a social responsibility and actively contribute to creating a green future for coming generations.
He also said plantation activities around industrial establishments could help control air pollution and reduce the impact of climate change.
The Deputy CM stressed that ensuring a healthy, clean and green environment for future generations was a collective responsibility.
Industries should expand plantation and other green initiatives as part of their corporate social responsibility and contribute to maintaining ecological balance, he said.
Pawan Kalyan further said sustainable progress could be achieved only by taking development and nature conservation forward simultaneously. He directed the Pollution Control Board and AP-GREEN to take special measures to ensure strict implementation of the 33 percent green-cover requirement by all industries across the State.
According to 2026 data, around 3,400 industries and companies belonging to sectors such as ports, cement, mining, energy, food processing, plastics, paper and textiles are operating across thousands of acres in Andhra Pradesh.
The Pollution Control Board had already conducted a 14-day special drive and successfully completed the first phase of a pilot project covering 26 industries across the State. Green cover was developed over 129 acres under the initiative.
Pawan Kalyan appreciated the managements of industries that supported the programme and urged all other industries to follow their example.
He asked industries located near cities such as Visakhapatnam to strictly implement the green-cover requirement and take measures to protect urban residents from pollution.
Special Economic Zones at Sri City, Parawada and other locations should also mandatorily maintain 33 percent green cover, he said. Pawan Kalyan called upon the industrial sector to actively participate in the State’s ambitious goal of increasing green cover to 50 per cent of its geographical area.