Haritha Haram Largest green drive in India:Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

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