Speaker Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu has called upon every citizen to plant three saplings each and take it upon themselves to ensure their protection.
Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu launched the ‘Vana Mahotsavam-2024’ programme at NTR Stadium here on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the officials were telling him that 60 lakh saplings were planted in the recent past but the ground situation was otherwise. He recalled that when he was the Forest Minister in the past, 1 lakh saplings were planted on a single day through Red Cross, Green Crop, NSS and other student wings.
He advised the Collector to strengthen those programmes. He also suggested the involvement of four lakh DWCRA women in the programme. He said that care should be taken to avoid the planting of certain species, which were found to trigger certain health disorders, as per the recommendations of scientists. Saplings should be planted in all colleges. Special allocations should be made in the road projects to raise plants in place of trees axed to facilitate road-widening works. He suggested that the programme should begin with Anakapalli district.
Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu suggested that medicinal plants and bamboo could be planted as part of the programme. He said that if measures were taken to raise 10% forest cover in the State, Andhra Pradesh would turn green in five years.
District Collector Vijaya Krishnan said that 60 lakh saplings were planted in the district, so far. Measures would be taken to strengthen the programme further.
Anakapalli MLA Konathala Ramakrishna and Yelamanchili MLA Sundarapu Vijay Kumar spoke on the importance of growing trees for protection of the environment. DFO Jagannath Singh was present.
Earlier, saplings were distributed to schoolchildren and a pledge was administered to them for protection of plants.
