Navi Mumbai: Around 5,000 saplings were planted at Birsa Munda Udyan, Warli Pada, in the TTC-MIDC area, Rabale. The state forest minister, Ganesh Naik, joined the plantation drive aimed to take one step towards a greener tomorrow. The former mayor, Sudhakar Sonawane, took the initiative as part of starting the Tree Plantation Drive 2026 in the city.The plantation drive was held between June 22 and June 26. On average, more than 1,000 saplings were planted per day. The forest department land was used for the plantation activity. Golden bamboo, mango, neem, banyan, peepal and some flowering saplings, among others, were planted.The saplings were given by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, forest department, and some other organisations and individuals. A water pipeline has been laid to water the saplings. Arrangements have been made to draw water from two reservoirs atop the hill to maintain uninterrupted water supply, keeping in mind the dry spell.Sudhakar Sonawane said, “All arrangements have been made for survival of the saplings as part of our social responsibility. A similar model was successful at the Mumbra Devi hill terrain where 25,000 trees have been surviving.”Volunteers of Green Hope Organisation, led by former MLA Sandeep Naik, also joined the drive. Mayor Sujata Patil and others joined the plantation drive. The event coincided with the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj.It can be noted that the govt has planned to plant 300 crore saplings across the state to improve the tree and forest cover. The hilly terrains in the TTC-MIDC area are being targeted to increase the tree density of the city over the last few decades.
