If the state forest department has its way, Ranchi and its outskirts will don a greener look by the end of the monsoon.
Starting Thursday, foresters will plant around 10 lakh saplings in and around Ranchi district under the Green India Mission project. In the capital city alone, around 18,000 saplings will be planted along roads from Morabadi to Ormanjhi and Jharkhand High Court to Namkum.
The remaining saplings will be planted on the outskirts like Burmu, Mandar, Silli, Bero and Patratu.
"We will cover around 100 hectares of barren land on the outskirts where agricultural productivity is low. Apart from a couple of exceptions in the capital city, we will try to avoid plantation along roads due to construction of drains," said Ranchi divisional forest officer Rajiv Lochan Bakshi.
In all, 3.55 crore saplings will be planted across the state, as per chief minister Raghubar Das's directives. On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, Das had asked department officials to expedite the process and make the green drive successful by roping in maximum number of students from cradles like St Xavier's College, Delhi Public School, Ranchi, St Xavier's School, DAV group of schools, Ranchi Women's College and BIT-Mesra, among others.
The department has already roped in members of Rotary Club and around 5,000 schools and college students for this green revolution.
"The forest department does not purchase saplings from nurseries. We create temporary nurseries, from where the saplings are distributed among our staff for plantation," said Bakshi.
Apart from the usual flower-bearing trees, the department will also plant saplings of sesame, gamhar and fruit-bearing trees.
Last year, the department had planted around 1.98 crore saplings across the state. In Ranchi district alone, around five lakh saplings were planted. "In 2014, only 500 students participated in the green drive. But this year, it has started on a positive note. It is good to see the young generation being sensitive towards the environment," said divisional forest officer Bakshi.
