Green tribute: UP to raise forests in name of Atal, Patel & Munda
Lucknow: As part of the special plantation drive, Uttar Pradesh will see several forests being raised named after the distinguished icons such as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and tribal icon Birsa Munda.
'Atal Van' will be raised to mark the birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
As part of the drive, an event will be organised at Bateshwar Mahadev temple in Vajpayee's ancestral village, Bateshwar in Agra, where every divisional forest officer or their representative will be given a banyan sapling to plant in Atal Van. Similarly, 'Ekta Van' will be set up to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
The home department will be extensively engaged in planting these forests. As the centre is already celebrating Janjatiya Gaurav Varsha to commemorate the legacy and 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, the UP govt will establish 'Eklavya Van' (named to signify the tribal connection) as its contribution. Every district will have at least one 'Atal Van' and one 'Ekta Van' planted this year, on at least a hectare of land.
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At least one 'Eklavya Van' will be raised in each district like Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Sonbhadra, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bijnor, Siddharthnagar, Lalitpur, Bhadohi, Kushinagar, Chandauli, Deoria, Ballia, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Basti, Mau, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, and Sant Kabir Nagar with tribal population.
"Tribals will be engaged in its plantation, and the priority will be to plant fruit-bearing trees so that people may benefit from it," said sources.
In cities and urban areas, 'Oxy Van' will be raised as green lungs. Every municipal corporation and nagar palika will have a hectare of Oxy forest.
Apart from these, 'Shaurya Van' will be raised in every district on Aug 15 to honour the valour of defence forces. Villages of martyrs will be the preferred spots. Every Gaushala premises will have a 'Gopal Van', with species of trees yielding fodder and shade for cows.
In memory of the successful organisation of Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, 'Triveni Van' will be planted along rivers flowing through every district. 'Triveni Van' will consist of three trees: Neem, Peepal, and Pakar.
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