The decision to distribute five fruit and flower-bearing saplings to every household as part of Haritha Haram has not been implemented despite the programme being launched by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the town on July 12.
Before the launch of the programme, the district authorities had made tall claims about planting one lakh saplings on one single day to mark the launch of the third phase of the programme. Later, the number came down to 10,000 saplings on the first day while the plantation would continue throughout the year.
The residents were informed that fruit and flower-bearing saplings would be distributed at Ambedkar Stadium after the public meeting of the Chief Minister on July 12 at separate counters for each municipal division. However, owing to security reasons, the decision to distribute saplings was shelved.
It has been a week since the launch of the plantation drive, the residents are yet to receive the promised saplings to be planted on the premises of their house. Besides, the authorities have only been planting saplings that give shade.
Some of the ruling party municipal corporators have expressed ire over not receiving the targeted number of saplings from the concerned authorities to be distributed among the residents in their respective colonies. “It’s been a week since the launch of Haritha Haram, but we have not distributed the promised saplings to the locals. They are showing interest in planting the saplings, provided that we give them the same,” one of the corporators said.
Referring to taking up block plantation along the shores of the LMD reservoir on the outskirts of the town, the TRS leaders said the officials should have focused on planting only fruit-bearing plants along shores to end monkey menace.
However, the municipal authorities said they had placed orders for over 40,000 fruit-bearing and flower-bearing saplings from the nurseries in East Godavari district. They hoped that the saplings would arrive soon.