LUDHIANA, July 28: Under a special one-month long campaign launched by Forest Department in the district, 5.30 lakh saplings will be planted on government forest land, along roads canals and at Dhusi Bundh. Three lakhs saplings have been planted so far under the scheme.Disclosing this here today, Arun Goel, deputy commissioner, said that to improve the environment in the City, tress should be grown on all the main roads, around parks and in green belts. During this campaign, 3,000 saplings each would be planted on Ferozepur road, Sidhwan canal and Dhandari focal point.In order to strengthen the 100-km-long Dhusi Bundh on Sutlej river from Dhulewal to Madhepur, 45,000 saplings of eucalyptus, bamboo and shesham would be planted. He added that to meet the requirement of the plants, eight nurseries had been set up under Employment Insurance Scheme which had grown 4.50 lakh saplings and the village population employed on these nurseries had earned Rs 48 lakh.Goel further informed that from this year the Forest Department had been made responsible for maintenance of the saplings for three years and funds amounting to Rs 1.06 crore had been made available for the purpose to the department. He called upon the social organisations, panchayats and educational organisations to extend cooperation to the department and submit their requirement of saplings for their surrounding areas.Jarnail Singh, divisional forest officer, disclosed that the department had deputed 4,000 officials and labourers to achieve the target. He claimed that with the proper care and watering of the plants, the survival rate had increased to more than 70 per cent. He said that for cleaner air, 40,000 neem saplings were being planted besides one lakh medicine saplings in the City.
