Take up green drive on massive scale: Minister

Kakinada: Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu advocated for massive plantation drive with due priority to rural sector and to make AP a green hub. Addressing a meeting organised at Government ITI, here on Saturday in connection with 70th Vanamahotsav, the minister said that urbanisation and population growth has had its impact on forests and greenery which turned out as constant threat to human survival in future.

On the occasion, he appealed to people to plant and protects trees and directed the urban area authorities to have a plan for protection of trees. The minister suggested that agriculture, horticulture and forest departments to work in coordination for promotion of fruit bearing trees on bunds of agriculture lands by the farmers.

He also suggested the forest department should encourage plantations in school grounds, adjacent to compound walls and entrust the safeguarding of these plants to school students.

MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy said that he would encourage bamboo plantation in his fields as they were economically viable and oxygen producing plants. MP Vanga Geeta said steps are being taken by both Centre and state to take up large scale plantation drive and requested the public to take part in it.

Collector D Muralidhar Reddy said efforts are being made for plantation of 10 lakh saplings in district this year. SP Adnan Nayeem Asmi, JC Dr G Lakshmisha, DFO Nandini Salaria, JC 2 G Rajakumari, DFO R Srinivas, DFO (social forestry) Chinni Krishna and RDO M Francis participated. Earlier, Minister Kanna Babu and others participated in sapling plantation drive on the ITI premises where the Vanamahostav was organised.