State to plant trees worth Rs 188cr in 5 years

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Bhubaneswar: Concerned over the irreparable loss to the green cover due to cyclone Fani, the state government Friday chalked out a five-year action plan worth `188 crore with a view to create a green barricade along the coast and promote green cover in cyclone-hit Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
The action plan was prepared at a high-level meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary AP Padhi.
According to official sources, about 130.5 lakh trees will be planted in the current year – 2019-20. Of these, 80.5 lakh trees will be planted by the Forest department itself, while 50 lakh saplings will be distributed among various educational institutions, industrial estates and other private land holders for plantation in their respective areas.
Currently, 104 lakh saplings are available with 12 Forest divisions. Keeping the action plan in view, the Chief Secretary asked the concerned officials to execute the project on mission mode with active participation of the people, panchayats and civil societies.
The meeting decided to plant one lakh trees with long life in the Balukhand Reserved Forest, parks and roadside in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, sources said. Low height trees will be planted in areas where electric wires pass so that they do not come in touch the live wires.
As crops in over 24,780 hectares have been damaged due to the cyclone, the government has decided to undertake plantation of various trees, including coconut, in convergence with MGNREGA.
Meanwhile, state government officials claimed that they have replanted 3,290 partly uprooted trees in and around Bhubaneswar. A proposal worth `24 crore has been approved for the transplantation of the partly uprooted trees.
So far, 182 trees have been transplanted along the road from Power House to CRP Square and 333 trees have been replanted along the way from Power House to Jaydev Vihar Square. In addition, replantation have been undertaken along the roads from Jayadev Vihar to Nandankanan Square (1,593 trees), Vani Vihar to Master Canteen (225), City Women’s College to Jagamara (142), Master Canteen to PMG Square (130), Master Canteen to Sishu Bhawan and Capital Hospital to AG Square (169), Airport Road (446) and Khandagiri to Pokhariput (70).
According to an estimate prepared by the government, over 22 lakh trees have been damaged due to the cyclone, which cost `537 crore to the exchequer.