Bhubaneswar: Marking Van Mahotsav Week 2026, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Monday launched a large-scale Miyawaki afforestation drive on the OUAT campus behind the old Baramunda Bus Stand, planting 5,000 saplings as part of its urban greening initiative.
The plantation drive was inaugurated by Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra in the presence of BMC Mayor Sulochana Das, Deputy Mayor Manjulata Kahar, BMC Commissioner Chanchal Rana, OUAT Vice-Chancellor Pravat Kumar Roul, corporators, standing committee chairpersons, and senior officials of the BMC, OUAT and the Forest department.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Mahapatra underscored the importance of environmental conservation, saying that protecting nature is essential for ensuring a healthy society. He appealed to citizens, institutions and community groups to actively participate in tree plantation drives and preserve the city’s biodiversity.
Highlighting the City’s green vision, Mayor Das said Bhubaneswar currently ranks fourth in India in the clean air index and stressed that collective public participation could help the City achieve the top position. She urged every resident to plant and nurture at least five trees during their lifetime to ensure a healthier environment for future generations.
Commissioner Rana announced that BMC has set a target of planting one lakh trees during 2026-27 and has sought `10 crore in government assistance to implement the programme.
Roul also called upon citizens to strike a balance between development and environmental conservation, emphasising that nature, culture and progress must go hand in hand.
The Baramunda plantation marks the second Miyawaki forest project undertaken by BMC during the current monsoon season. Civic officials said the Miyawaki forests created in recent years, including one at Patrapada, have transformed into dense green patches within just two years, with trees now growing over 10 feet tall.
Over the past few years, BMC has developed Miyawaki forests at several locations, including Nagar Van, Nayapalli, Kalinga Nagar, Kalinga Studio and other parts of the City, planting more than 80,000 saplings under the high-density afforestation model.
Apart from the saplings planted near Baramunda, another 8,000 saplings were planted in the City’s urban forest. Rana thanked the City Forest Division and Chandaka Forest Division for supplying the saplings.
According to BMC, the corporation planted 21,000 saplings across five locations during 2024-25 and 55,000 trees in 2025-26. Additionally, 16,000 roadside saplings were planted in 2024-25, while over 30,000 were planted along roadsides in 2025-26 to enhance the City’s green cover. OFDC is also developing Miyawaki plantations and green projects over four acres at the Daruthenga bio-mining site this year.
Students of OUAT, members of self-help groups, volunteers, local residents, and officials of the BMC and the Forest Department participated in the plantation drive. The programme was coordinated by Additional Commissioner Suvendu Kumar Sahu with support from Deputy Commissioner Sushrita Tudu.
