Kamareddy: Plants developed only to cut off later?

Kamareddy: Crores of rupees that was spent on the government's prestigious programme 'Haritha Haram' to protect environment are going waste as many of the plants planted under this programme were not taken care afterwards.

Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, during a programme on Independence Day in Kamareddy, lauded the district administration for planting 76.37 lakh saplings during sixth phase of Haritha Haram instead of the target of 67.60 lakh.

The excitement of planting saplings does not go a long way with the authorities, people's representatives and the people. As a result, these plants did not survive until the rainy season.

Though the officials were announcing of geotagging each and every plant for the past four years, there is no proper care. Survival plant statistics should be released through geotagging and errors should be reviewed.

Thieves will rob the tree guards and animals will graze these plants. Buffaloes continue to destroy avenue plantation plants in Jukkal constituency every day. The plants, which survived several adverse conditions, were axed down by the electricity department after 10 months. The situation is same in Kamareddy district and Telangana also. Avenue plants planted on both sides of the road will be removed after a few days in the name of road widening. Tree guards set up to protect the plants would be stolen by ragpickers. In Jukkal, the tree guard got entangled with a buffalo's horns and the animal has dragged the tree guard along with the plant. No one stopped the buffalo and such incidents are common in the State.

'Telangana Ku Haritha Haram' was launched by Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao on 3 June 2015. It is a tree plantation drive on a mass scale to increase green cover in the State from 24% to 33%. A budget of Rs 550 crore was also earmarked in 2015-16 financial year.

At village level, Haritha Rakshana Committees were formed to monitor the programme under the chairmanship of Gram Sarpanch. Haritha Rakshana Committees have remained to paper only. Plants planted in the last six years have no record of survival until the next rainy season, while naturally grown trees are being uprooted as part of development.