Speaker flags concern over conocarpus plants

Hyderabad: Speaker G Prasad Kumar on Tuesday advised the government to remove conocarpus plants planted during the Haritha Haram in BRS regime, stating that these plants have no benefit to human beings.

The Speaker made these comments intervening during the discussion on demands in the Assembly when BRS MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy was speaking. While the BRS member said that the Haritha Haram programme of the previous government increased the forest cover by seven per cent in the State; he said that there will be balance if there is 33 per cent forest cover. The Speaker said, “I want to have intervention here. During Haritha Haram, the authorities had planted conocarpus plants. These plants consume no water but they take oxygen and release carbon dioxide and are of no use for the human beings. Hence I request the government to remove these plants.”

The BRS member replied that out of the 2.5 crore saplings planted in the Haritha Haram, these conocarpus plants were not even one per cent.