Gopal Rai
– Photo: Agency (File Photo)
Expansion
There has also been a controversy over the issue of increasing the green area in Delhi. The Delhi government claims that thanks to its efforts, green coverage in the capital has increased from 20 percent to 23 percent. The government claims to further increase the area by starting a new plantation from February 26. At the same time, the BJP has claimed that the Delhi government is only planting trees on paper and that a scam is being carried out in its name. The party has demanded an audit of Delhi’s green belt through a third party.
Government claims
Delhi’s Environment and Forestry Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday that a tree-planting campaign will be launched in the capital from February 26. 52 lakh saplings will be planted in this campaign this year. In addition to plants of local species, priority will be given to shady trees. Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal will initiate this tree planting campaign. He claimed that work is underway to make Delhi the ‘Green Capital’ of the world. He claimed that forest cover in Delhi has increased from 20 percent to 23 percent. The government is committed to further increasing green cover. According to Rai, a target of planting 42 lakh saplings was set last year, but he planted 47 lakh saplings more than the target.
‘Government plants trees on paper’
Delhi BJP leader Harish Khurana has said that the Kejriwal government, like other departments, is committing scams in the tree plantation. She only plants trees on paper, while the number of trees along the roads of the capital is not increasing. He said that his ministers, like Arvind Kejriwal, run the government only by placing advertisements in newspapers. The BJP leader said the Delhi government has claimed to have planted more than 1.5 crore trees in recent years. If so many trees had been planted, Delhi’s image would have changed. But if this does not happen, it is clear that the government is committing a scam even in the name of planting trees. He said a third party audit would need to be done to bring out the reality of the matter.
On the other hand, Minister of Forestry and Environment Gopal Rai in Delhi government said that instructions have been given to form an expert committee regarding the third party audit report. This committee studies the audit report of the third party on which species and in which place the survival rate of plants is high. Based on the conclusion that will emerge from this research, we can give the relevant authorities instructions on which soil and which type of plants should be planted. He said that the green area in Delhi was 20 percent in the year 2013 and increased to 23.06 percent in the year 2021.
(TagsToTranslate)Green delhi