Telangana to add 230-cr plants, under a flagship programme "Telangana Ku Haritha Haram"

Telangana government has proposed to add 230 crore plants in the 3 years under a flagship programme "Telangana Ku Haritha Haram".

This flagship programme aims to boost tree cover in the state by nearly eight per cent.

Features of "Telangana Ku Haritha Haram" programme:

• 130 crore seedlings will be planted outside forest areas (10 crore within Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority area and 120 crore in rest of the areas of the state).
• Another 100 crore plants would be rejuvenated by intensive protection of the forests and from the existing root stock in the forest areas.
• The programme envisages increasing the tree cover of the state from present 25.16 per cent to 33 per cent of the total geographical area of the state.
• This objective is sought to be achieved by

1. Multi-pronged approach of rejuvenating degraded forests.
2. Protection of forests from smuggling.
3. Protection of forests from encroachment.
4. Protection of forests from fire.
5. Protection of forests from grazing.
6. Protection of forests from intensive soil.
7. Moisture conservation measures both inside and outside forest following the watershed approach.

• In addition concept of social forestry will be taken up for massive plantation activities outside forest areas.
• According to the government, the thrust areas to achieve the objectives are twofold:

1. Initiatives in forest areas.
2. Initiatives outside forest areas.

• In the forest area, activities like forest protection, afforestation, rejuvenating degraded forests and treatment of Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) areas will be taken up.
• Under this programme conservation of biodiversity rich areas outside the protected area network will be encouraged with the active collaboration of all stakeholders including the Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs).
• Modern methods of forest management will be adapted by using the latest technological interventions like improved planting stock, GIS, MIS, Remote Sensing, DGPS, etc.
• In the outside forest area, avenue plantation, barren hill afforestation, institutional plantations, homestead plantations, agro forestry, tank foreshore, canal bank, river bank and rivulets, green Panchayats, creation of "Smriti vanams" and planting in urban residential colonies would be taken up.
• In order to achieve the objectives of this  flagship programme massive plantations during 2015 planting season will be undertaken.
• A detailed exercise for identification of nurseries and the sites available for raising plantations have been undertaken under "Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika" initiative of the Government.
• Village-wise, Mandal-wise and district-wise areas and nurseries have been identified.
• About 3699 number of nurseries are identified for raising the adequate nursery stock by the various agencies involved (Forest Department, DWMA, agriculture, horticulture, tribal welfare etc) for achieving the target of raising seedlings at 40 lakh seedlings per assembly constituency.
• Further, necessary action is being taken by the different agencies for procurement of polythene bags and seeds for grounding the nurseries.