NEW DELHI: Even as the government has revised the plantation target for 2022-23 to 42.81 lakh from 35 lakh saplings, the forest department has written to all the green agencies in the city asking them to “specify” the sites where they plan to plant these saplings, as the city does not have as much vacant land available to meet this target.
According to officials, the forest department, which is the nodal agency for plantation in the capital, sought details from Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA), among others, of the same.
“It was after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) constantly stressed and directed all agencies to increase the plantation targets and the green cover for the city in a bid to curb air pollution that the departments had to revise their respective targets, but it is crucial that that sites picked for the same are viable to support the survival of these saplings,” said a senior official.
The CAQM which was appointed by the Centre in 2021 to combat air pollution, reviewed the action plan and increased targets for all states falling under its ambit. While the CAQM had put the target for Delhi at 32 lakh saplings for this year, the government already announced a plantation target of 35 lakh saplings for the year.
“It was after we had submitted the progress report to the environment department of the plantation target achieved so far this year, that the numbers was revised for the capital,” the official said. Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that of the original plantation target of 35 lakh saplings by March, 33.79 lakh saplings have already been planted.
“We have achieved 96% of the target for this year and have increased it further now. We have instructed the forest department to conduct random checks of the saplings planted by the greening agencies. The second phase of tree plantation campaign will kick off from October 15. All departments have been directed to conduct third party audits of plantation done to check the survival rate,” said Rai.
As per the progress report, so far 33.79 lakh saplings have been planted. Of this, mainly 7.94 lakh saplings are planted by the forest department, 5.59 lakh by DDA, 2.95 lakh by MCD, 2.3 lakh by education department, 3.20 lakh by PWD, 4.43 lakh by NDMC,among others.