Indore: With the objective of making the city clean and green, a massive sapling plantation drive will be organised before onset of monsoon. Lakhs of saplings will be planted in the season. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will inaugurate the sapling plantation drive on June 4 at 10 am at Khajraana intersection.
A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting chaired by Mahajan on Friday. It was decided that sapling plantation will be carried out by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Mahanagar Vikas Parishad. Parishad chairman Ashok Daga and secretary Rajesh Jain said IMC council chairman Ajay Singh Naruka has been nominated as coordinator while Sudhir Degde and Prakash Parvani have been nominated as associates.
“Malwa was once known for its pleasing climate. I wish to restore its old glory,” Mahajan said. She said that city's environment experts have knowledge about what species of trees were present in old times, which kept the temperature down during summer days. Earlier, the city was covered with peepal, mango, neem, banyan, gullar, bamboo, ficus trees.
Mahajan said saplings should be planted in all the gardens and residential areas of the city. Addressing the women present in the meeting, she also said a Tulsi (basil herb) garden should be set up separately. The first phase of sapling plantation will be carried out along 14.5-km on east ring road. Mayor Malini Gaur assured of full cooperation. IDA chairman Shankar Lalwani also assured to contribute.
Survey on people-tree ratio
Mahajan expressed the need for conducting a survey on number of trees required per person. She said survey should also mention total number of trees present in the city so that the citizens can know how many trees “have we destroyed and how many are needed to save environment.”