HYDERABAD: The Telangana government’s flagship programme Telangana Ku Haritha Haram (THH), taken up to enhance the green cover in the state is the biggest plantation drive in the country and third in the world after China and Brazil. After launching the THH, Telangana had planted 239 crore saplings in the past six years, which is nine crore more than the target 230 crore.
Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao started THH in July, 2015 with an intention to improve the forest coverage to 33% from the 24% in 2014. The National Forest Policy of India, 1988 also envisages 33% of forest cover. There is a gap of about 9% in the forest cover in the state, Telangana forest department officials said.
Forest department officials said no other state has taken up plantation drive in such a big way in the past.
“In the past six years, the forest department and other departments have planted over 160 crore saplings outside the forest areas and another 80 crore with the forest areas after 7th THH programme conducted this year. This include direct plantation and rejuvenation of degraded forest,” RM Dobriyal, principal chief conservator of forest (social forestry) said.
Since CM KCR has been giving top priority for Haritha Haram, not only forest department, revenue, municipal and panchayat raj departments have been actively participating in the programme every year. The state government mandated Green Budget in every civic body and even made must that every elected representative in the panchayats and municipalities should ensure 85% of the saplings in their respective jurisdiction .
