The Hindu 28.07.2010
City bids for record plantation drive, with changed goal instead
AHMEDABAD: Through the Green Ahmedabad campaign, the city aims to set a new record when over 25,000 volunteers will plant seven lakh saplings in a single day on July 31.
Earlier, the city was hoping to break the record set by Khemaru village in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, where 300 volunteers had planted 6.11 lakh saplings in a single day.
The state government and the forest department wanted to break this record, but they realised it was impossible for them as in Khemaru only 300 volunteers had participated and the plantation was carried out at just one location. Senior officials held a meeting and and reset the goal. It was decided to set a new record where over 25,000 volunteers would participate and plant saplings at different locations, falling under the jurisdiction of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda).
The forest department, it may be recalled, had already paid a fee of 400 pounds to the Guinness Book of World Records. However, sources in the department, said that after paying the amount the realisation dawned upon the department that it may not after all be able to break the Rajasthan record as Ahmedabad city did not fall in the category.
Jagdish Prasad, conservator of forests, Ahmedabad, refused to comment on the record bid. He, however, said that 3 lakh saplings would be planted in the city alone, while the Auda area would get about 4.5 lakh saplings.
In all, about three lakh saplings planted in Ahmedabad city would be shady and decorative trees. In Auda areas, since this would be taken up along the fields the farmers wanted revenue generating trees, the forest department will go in for planting teak, eucalyptus, neem and desi bawal among others. Prasad said the forest department had conducted a survey and the popular demand was for planting revenue-generating trees.
Earlier, the city was hoping to break the record set by Khemaru village in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, where 300 volunteers had planted 6.11 lakh saplings in a single day.
The state government and the forest department wanted to break this record, but they realised it was impossible for them as in Khemaru only 300 volunteers had participated and the plantation was carried out at just one location. Senior officials held a meeting and and reset the goal. It was decided to set a new record where over 25,000 volunteers would participate and plant saplings at different locations, falling under the jurisdiction of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda).
The forest department, it may be recalled, had already paid a fee of 400 pounds to the Guinness Book of World Records. However, sources in the department, said that after paying the amount the realisation dawned upon the department that it may not after all be able to break the Rajasthan record as Ahmedabad city did not fall in the category.
Jagdish Prasad, conservator of forests, Ahmedabad, refused to comment on the record bid. He, however, said that 3 lakh saplings would be planted in the city alone, while the Auda area would get about 4.5 lakh saplings.
In all, about three lakh saplings planted in Ahmedabad city would be shady and decorative trees. In Auda areas, since this would be taken up along the fields the farmers wanted revenue generating trees, the forest department will go in for planting teak, eucalyptus, neem and desi bawal among others. Prasad said the forest department had conducted a survey and the popular demand was for planting revenue-generating trees.
