2 days ago
MHADA to plant 1 lakh saplings across Maharashtra during Van Mahotsav Week
The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has declared a statewide tree plantation drive during Van Mahotsav Week from July 1 to July 7 with an aim to plant one lakh saplings in the state.
As part of the drive, around 50,000 saplings are to be planted in the undevelopable plots of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including the Mumbai and Konkan Housing Boards, through the Miyawaki method — a Japanese forestry technology to grow indigenous forests rapidly and enhance biodiversity in small areas, said Sanjeev Jaiswal, vice-president and Chief Executive Officer of MHADA, who will spearhead and supervise the drive.
The saplings will be purely native and eco-friendly species, and they will be geo-tagged for monitoring and transparency, said MHADA authorities.
'Those plots that are not usable for any construction should be made green lungs for the city,' said Jaiswal, who presided over a preparatory meeting on Monday. He directed the officials of MHADA to conduct the campaign with the active involvement of all regional boards and housing colonies under the MHADA ambit.
Mumbai Housing Board has been given the task of planting 50,000 saplings, whereas Konkan Housing Board has a target of 25,000 saplings. Each of MHADA's regional boards, including Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, and Amravati, have been instructed to plant 25,000 saplings.
Jaiswal suggested that the upkeep and maintenance of the saplings, in the long run, should be taken over by the housing societies concerned. 'It must not be a one-time effort but a long-term commitment,' he stated, pointing to the significance of having sustainable greenery.
MHADA will release a circular in the future, making compensatory plantation compulsory for all tree-cutting works related to its projects. This will initially be adopted in Mumbai and will be later extended to other parts of Maharashtra.
