Chittoor district is embarking on an ambitious journey to drastically increase its green cover, aiming to reach 50% by the year 2047. This significant target, announced by District Collector Sumit Kumar on Wednesday, falls under the state government’s pivotal initiative, Mission Haritha Andhra Pradesh.
During a recent meeting focused on fostering synergy between various departments and encouraging community involvement, Collector Kumar highlighted that the district currently stands at 34% green cover. He underscored the critical need for continuous, dedicated efforts to close this 16% gap. Officials were strongly encouraged to launch large-scale tree-planting campaigns, utilizing both Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and Artificial Regeneration (AR) techniques to rejuvenate degraded forest areas and introduce new greenery in sparsely vegetated zones.
Further elaborating on the plan, Mr. Kumar detailed that afforestation efforts would be ramped up significantly along major transportation arteries, including national and state highways, rural roads, canals, tank embankments, and railway lines. Additionally, revenue wastelands, institutional properties, and the areas surrounding tank foreshores are slated for extensive planting. He issued clear instructions to all relevant departments to strategically deploy Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) funds for these extensive plantation projects, emphasizing the importance of real-time progress tracking via mobile applications, geo-tagging, and satellite data.
“These widespread planting initiatives are more than just an environmental boon; they will also create vital livelihood opportunities for countless families throughout the district,” stated the Collector. He also stressed the crucial role of diligent sapling care and consistent field inspections by officials from the forest and rural development sectors to ensure the long-term success of the initiative.
To cultivate a deep sense of environmental responsibility from an early age, Mr. Kumar called upon students to actively participate in tree planting. He emphasized that priority should be given to implementing Tree Outside Forest (TOF) and Agroforestry policies. These policies aim to boost green cover by planting fruit-bearing and multi-purpose tree species, critically involving farmers in areas outside traditional reserve forests.