Chandigarh June 19:
Prof Rajinder Bhandari, Vice Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board in a meeting with the officials of Forest Department yesterday discussed the ways and means to extend the forest area and greening the vacant land in the State through departmental afforestation and agro-forestry programme.
He suggested that the forest area could be enhanced by providing tree cover in institutional lands like schools, colleges, hospitals, roads and canals and panchayat and agriculture land. Prof Bhandari said that green cover in Punjab should be increased to improve the ecological balance and environment as a whole. This will also promote tree cultivation outside forest area.
Total area under forests in the state is only 5.02 per cent of the total land, as 86 per cent of the total land is being used for agriculture. He wants the department to launch a campaign to plant, preserve and grow trees on the land available anywhere and everywhere. He has given a slogan of ‘Each one--Plant one--Preserve one.’ A target to grow 114 lakh trees has been fixed for the year 2011-12. Approximately Rs 4 crore will be utilised for growing trees on 400 ha of land this year.
Besides, the amount received under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme will also be utilised for plantation over an area of 4,000 ha, soil conservation works, forest extension works and fencing.
Prof Rajinder Bhandari, Vice Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board in a meeting with the officials of Forest Department yesterday discussed the ways and means to extend the forest area and greening the vacant land in the State through departmental afforestation and agro-forestry programme.
He suggested that the forest area could be enhanced by providing tree cover in institutional lands like schools, colleges, hospitals, roads and canals and panchayat and agriculture land. Prof Bhandari said that green cover in Punjab should be increased to improve the ecological balance and environment as a whole. This will also promote tree cultivation outside forest area.
Total area under forests in the state is only 5.02 per cent of the total land, as 86 per cent of the total land is being used for agriculture. He wants the department to launch a campaign to plant, preserve and grow trees on the land available anywhere and everywhere. He has given a slogan of ‘Each one--Plant one--Preserve one.’ A target to grow 114 lakh trees has been fixed for the year 2011-12. Approximately Rs 4 crore will be utilised for growing trees on 400 ha of land this year.
Besides, the amount received under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme will also be utilised for plantation over an area of 4,000 ha, soil conservation works, forest extension works and fencing.
