Prayagraj: As part of Uttar Pradesh’s drive to transform the state into a ‘Harit Pradesh’, Prayagraj is set to plant 72 lakh saplings during a mega plantation campaign beginning on Environment Day (June 5). This year, the state govt has digitised the monitoring of planted saplings to ensure accurate assessment of green cover and improve their survival through regular monitoring and conservation.As part of the priority accorded to large-scale afforestation on both sides of the Ganga Expressway, as many as 15,000 saplings will be planted across 12 hectares in Prayagraj. Additionally, over 24,000 saplings will be planted along the banks of rivers.This time, the govt aims to propel this initiative forward as a mass movement. Under the ‘One Tree in Mother’s Name’ campaign, a minimum of five Moringa (Sahjan) saplings are to be planted at every anganwadi centre, while every student in schools and colleges is expected to plant at least one sapling. Furthermore, sapling plantation in the ‘City of the Sangam’ will also be carried out based on the ‘One Route, One Species’ theme.Suitable plantation sites have already been identified by all 24 participating govt departments. The campaign is also being strengthened through the development of theme-based forests across the district.Arvind Kumar, divisional forest officer ( Prayagraj) said that the department considers the protection and survival of saplings as the top priority of the green cover campaign.Consequently—based on the consolidated results submitted by all 24 govt departments within the district—the survival rate of planted saplings in the region has reached an impressive 98 per cent.To facilitate the monitoring of these plantation efforts, digital platforms such as the ‘Haritima’ app, GIS mapping, QR code-based tracking, the Plantation Monitoring System (PMS), and the Nursery Management System (NMS) are being utilized.Additionally, plans are underway to significantly expand—on a much broader scale this year—the QR code-based tracking system for saplings that was successfully implemented last year during the plantation drive at the Professor Rajendra Singh ‘Raju Bhaiya’ State University.The DFO said tree plantation activities will take place across a total of 35,158 sites. Specifically, the forest department will undertake planting at 158 of these sites, while the remaining 35,000 sites will be covered by other govt departments.In aggregate, this initiative will result in tree plantation drives being conducted across 35,158 distinct locations within the district, thereby covering a total area of 4,478 hectares. More than 10 million saplings are available across the 39 nurseries operated by the Forest Department in the district.Tree plantation is being developed not merely as a standalone program, but as a continuous, mass-participation campaign. The administration is prepared to restore the green belts that had to be cleared during the construction of expressways—projects designed to ensure smooth and rapid transit.
