Haritha Haram
Largest green drive in India
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao
The Hans India (01-07-2015)
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-07-01/Haritha-Haram-Largest-green-drive-in-India-160617
The stage is set and everything has been put in place to launch the
prestigious people centric program of Telangana ku Haritaharam on July 3, 2015.
The program was conceived a year ago by the Chief Minister Sri K.
Chandrashekhar Rao with an objective of improving green cover, maintain
ecological balance and to ensure sustainable livelihoods. While conceiving and
designing the program Chief Minister said that due to shortage of forests and
increasing deforestation there is an increasing need to go for massive
plantation as well as regeneration of the forests. Growing of trees is the only
alternate to increase rainfall and reduction of monkey menace.
Telangana ku Haritaharam is one of the flagship programs announced by
the Chief Minister envisaging increase of the tree cover of the state from 24%
to 33% of geographical area. As part of this, in the
coming three years 230 Crore seedlings are proposed to be added to the greenery
of Telangana State. Out of this 130 Crore seedlings are proposed to be planted
outside the notified forest areas including 10 Crore within HMDA limits. It is
also proposed to rejuvenate with 100 Crore plants inside the notified forests
by way of intensive protection of the forests and encouraging the live root
stock. This means 40 Crores plants every year at the rate of 40 lakhs saplings
to each of the Assembly segments. Accordingly, nurseries have been developed
and the seedlings are ready for plantation all over the state. The trees proposed to be planted in forest would be of wild fruit
bearing ones. They also include medicinal and aromatic plants. The Haritaharam shall
be a people’s movement according to Chief Minister. “Haritham, Shivam,
Sundaram” is the motto of the program. The massive plantation program has to be
viewed in the context of overall development of Telangana state as well as
Hyderabad brand image development.
The program as envisaged aimed at schematic plantation as was done in
Singapore unlike the old fashioned avenue plantations. People should have a
feeling that they are walking in the forest. It is also envisaged to go for
plantations all around rivers, rivulets, banks, tank bunds, compounds of all
institutions, institutional areas, industrial areas, factories, University
campuses etc.
In order to make this a successful and long term sustainable program
the Chief Minister reviewed its progress from time to time with the concerned
Minister, Senior Officials of Forest Department, District Collectors,
Superintendents of Police, Forest officers like Rangers, DFOs, Conservators and
others. For taking forward the program without any hurdle CM enquired from the
field level forest personnel their problems and offered solutions. In one of
the review meetings with forest officers, when it was brought to the CM’s
notice about the unauthorized occupations of the forest area by some and timber
smugglers, he promised full support to them from Government to act tough with occupants
and smugglers. The CM also offered gunmen facility to forest staff wherever
required. To strengthen the plantation program and make available the forest
land, CM suggested that District Collectors and Forest Officers should conduct
a joint survey of forest lands for fixing boundaries.
In subsequent review meetings the Chief Minister
has also given a call to increase the number of plantations to 320 Crores to
make it more effective. CM suggested increasing the number to 60-70 crores from
next year. The Chief Minister said that the first or second week of July every
year shall be observed as Haritaharam week as a participatory program and
Collectors should evince keen interest in plantation.
In the latest review meeting with Collectors, SPs
and Forest Officers the CM said that there has been lot of praise for the
Haritaharam program all over the country. Several people are mentioning that
such a program has never been conceived and implemented as is done in
Telangana. This has to be carried as a people’s movement. CM made a special
mention about the keen interest being evinced by Police officers. This is not
merely a forest department program but belongs to all. It is decided to plant
trees on National and State Highways.
Against this
background, on the whole, 39.60 Crores of seedlings have been raised in the
state. District wise, Constituency wise and Village level plans for planting is
ready with the collectors. Planting sites have been identified. Outer Ring Road
thematic planting is being covered in Haritaharam Programme. Funds tie up made
through NREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act),
Afforestation funds through the Forest Department, Industrial funds through
Industrial departments and Municipality funds through Municipality Department.
“Gram Panchayat Harita Rakshana Committee” have been constituted. The committee
is headed by village Serpanch and include among others MPTC, Panchayat
Secretary, SHG leader, ANM and Anganwadi Worker. The committee besides ensuring
successful implementation of the program will also ensure protection of the
plantations and involve people through motivation. Publicity started in the form
of short films like TV ads, Radio Jingles, campaigns and flickers. Posters,
Pamphlets, stickers for vehicles have been prepared. Samskritika Saradhi teams
are active. Kavisammelanams, avadhanams, mushairas etc. are being organized. Meetings
have been taken place through State level, District Level, Mandal level and
Village level elected representatives. Meetings with all the central and state
Government institutions including army officers and cantonment boards were also
conducted to enlist their support and participation.
Haritaharam
nursery directories have been printed district wise giving details of seedlings
available nursery wise and constituency wise. The same has been sent to all the
elected representatives and to all Gram Panchayats. Detailed guidelines have
been issued by the General Administration Department regarding the roles and
responsibilities of various participating departments.
An Officer on
Special duty to C.M. is monitoring the programme in each district.
Haritaharam reminds a similar program wherein
China has been engaged in a massive tree-planting program that has helped to
offset tropical deforestation. China’s reforestation program known as the
“Green Great Wall” is said to be the world’s largest ecological engineering
project. After three years Telangana ku Haritaharam will become one of the Best
Practices in green cover efforts. End