The component of ‘homestead plantation’/distribution of saplings has been reduced drastically in size from the mass afforestation programme of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) this year.
The ‘Vanamahotsavam-2024’ programme by GHMC, kick-started on Monday, aims at plantation of close to 30.82 lakh saplings across various localities. Of these, a little over five lakh or about 16% will be for distribution, as per the data accessed from GHMC. In contrast, during the previous version of the programme ‘Telangana Ku Haritha Haram’ between 2015 and 2023, between 80-90% of the saplings were earmarked for distribution, among individuals and institutions.
The ‘Vanamahotsavam’ programme has the components of avenue plantation, open space plantation, lake plantations, plantations in colonies, Miyawaki plantations, shrubs and hedges and plantation in urban forest parks. Roads, medians, multi layer plantations, and model corridors will be covered under the avenue plantation, for which the target is 6.28 lakh.
Institutional plantations, plantation in the double bedroom housing complexes and graveyards will be planted as part of open space plantation, for which the target is fixed at 1.76 lakh.
About 3.25 lakh saplings will be planted on the lake bunds, buffer areas and open spaces, while over six lakh is the target fixed for plantation in existing and newly proposed parks and open spaces.
The majority 7.79 lakh saplings will be hedges and shrubs to be planted in parks, under flyovers and on the medians, while 38,400 have been reserved for Miyawaki plantations. A total 22,300 saplings will be used to replace the casualties in the urban forest parks.
Minister in charge of Hyderabad district, Ponnam Prabhakar, launched the programme on Monday, by planting seedlings in the Government Polytechnic College, Ramanthapur.
The minister said measures are being taken to plant the saplings which are of use to the public. Arrangements have been made to plant a total of 7,134 seedlings at 56 locations across 30 circles, he said.
Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi said a total of 60 lakh seedlings have been kept ready in order to meet the target effectively.
