Third-party audit of Delhi’s plantation work finished: Environment Minister Gopal Rai

NEW DELHI:  The Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, has completed an audit of plantation work conducted by the Delhi Forest Department from 2016 to 2019 and a report will be submitted by July, said Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday.

“I have ordered a strict independent third-party audit of the plantation work across Delhi. Various organisations and institutions are working on it,” said Rai in a statement.

The FRI has completed the survey work for 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 of the Department of Forests and Wildlife and will submit the report by the end of July, the statement read. Other green agencies, including DMRC, NDMC, DUSIB, DDA, Delhi Cantonment, DJB, EDMC, PWD, North DMC and South DMC, are conducting independent audits of the plantation through Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, Forest Research Institute in Dehradun and Certification Engineers International Limited.

Of the 18 greening agencies involved in yearly plantation drives, the forest department and the Delhi Development Authority plant the maximum number of saplings and shrubs.

Various government agencies planted 32 lakh saplings in the financial year 2020-21. Of this, the forest department planted around 5.5 lakh saplings.

Rai had last year said the government would get an audit conducted by FRI, which will help ascertain which species of plants, trees and shrubs have the best survival rate in Delhi and which regions in the city are best suited for their growth.

The forest department had earlier got an audit conducted by the Agricultural Finance Corporation for the plantation drive carried out during 2013 to 2015.