Ranchi, July 14: The state forest department has launched a major initiative to plant fruit trees along highways and other major roads.

The Rs 700-crore project would involve 30km of road length in each forest division for the roadside plantation scheme under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Earlier, barely Rs 100 crore used to be spent under the scheme across the state.

The district forest officers would be in charge of the scheme, to be implemented in co-ordination with deputy commissioners concerned.

Many divisions, including Ranchi, have already started the plantation work.

Simultaneously, the forest department has also decided to take up water conservation schemes, including constructing a series of check dams, ponds, small chuias (natural wells). Site selection for the water conservation scheme is on and soon the state government would involve Nabcom for conducting detailed survey and submission of the project report.

Initially, a pilot project would be taken up and after its successful implementation, it would be replicated across all the districts.

Fruit-bearing trees such as jamun, mangoes, ber, bargad and kusum, among others, would be planted along the roads and proper care would be taken to ensure that they are allowed to grow and fruit. In addition, the department also proposes this year to provide fruit trees free to people, especially those belonging to weaker sections of the society and those interested in growing orchards.

For this purpose, plans are afoot to strengthen 180 forest nurseries in the state. These would be asked to grow saplings of fruit-bearing trees according to the local demand. The fruit-bearing trees would be supplied to those living in rural areas according to their choice as also what grows best in the area.

The roadside plantation-cum-urban forestry scheme is aimed at providing a green belt in and around urban areas as well as plantations along the main PWD road and national highways.

“It will create a pollution-free healthy environment for those living in cities and those travelling by roads,” said forests and mining secretary K.K. Khandelwal.