New Delhi: Delhi’s plan to plant 70 lakh trees this year got underway on Tuesday with Union Home Minister Amit Shah launching a large-scale plantation drive across 34 locations in the national capital.
The campaign was inaugurated at the Central Ridge area, home to the President’s Bodyguard, where Shah planted a sapling. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Lok Sabha MPs Manoj Tiwari and Yogender Chandolia, and Delhi Ministers Parvesh Verma and Manjinder Singh Sirsa were also present.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), one of the key agencies supporting the campaign, has set a target of planting around 600 trees and 50,000 shrubs during the drive. NDMC Vice Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal said more than 50,000 planting pits have already been prepared.
The plantation will focus on native and environmentally sustainable species such as Peepal, Neem, Jamun, Imli, Champa, Ashoka, Gulmohar and Amaltas. Shrubs including Hamelia, Justicia, Canna, Lily and Murraya, along with other varieties, will also be planted to improve biodiversity and strengthen the city’s green spaces.
Chahal said all NDMC council members, heads of departments, officers and employees will take part in the drive by planting trees across different locations under the Council’s jurisdiction.
Describing the initiative as a continuous public movement rather than a one-day event, Chahal said the NDMC has completed 31 consecutive Sunday plantation drives under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, On Sunday” campaign.
He added that plantation activities are also carried out regularly during national festivals, special occasions and public events, with active participation from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), Market Traders Associations (MTAs), schools, institutions and local residents as part of Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation).
Sharing details of the civic body’s green infrastructure, Chahal said the NDMC maintains around 1,450 acres of green spaces, including six major parks, 122 colony parks, 981 CPWD-maintained parks, 52 school green areas, 51 roundabouts, 14 market gardens and nearly 15,000 avenue trees.
Although the NDMC covers only about 3 per cent of Delhi’s geographical area, it accounts for nearly 55 per cent of the capital’s green cover, making it one of the country’s greenest urban local bodies.
BI Bureau
