Madhya Pradesh ready for ‘record’ plantation today

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh government is aiming to create a new Guinness record by planting 6 crore saplings along Narmada river on Sunday. The record for maximum plantations in 24 hours at multiple locations was created by Akhilesh Yadav government in July 2016 with 5 crore saplings.
“We have planned to plant 6 crore saplings in 12 hours on the basin and both the banks of river Narmada'', principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) Animesh Shukla told TOI.
Revealing the strategy for the world record preparations, Shukla said the plantation drive will be covered under the category - most trees planted in 12 hours (team) - multiple locations - for which the Guinness record company has trained volunteers to collect data and monitor the plantation drive. The plantation will be carried out in 12 hours from 7 am to 7 pm, which will be recorded and provided to the company, he said.
In Uttar Pradesh during Samajwadi Party's regime, a plantation drive was conducted last year by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav at multiple locations including Lucknow and Allahabad where 5.04 crore trees were planted smashing the world record of 8.47 lakh trees planted by Pakistan in 2013.
“During the 12 hours, a GPS reading of the plantation site would be noted. To verify the plantation, two witnesses each would monitor the process for four hours and verify the same though 50 people present on the location. The district collectors have appointed one government employee as `steward' in each location to assist the verification process'', said officials in the state secretariat.
After training, the witnesses and stewards will be appointed on various locations in the district where every plantation site will be monitored as per the code allotted to it and serial numbers assigned at the state level. On the day of plantation, arrangements have been made to get pictures and videos for evidence, said the officials.
Though, the government has not disclosed the expenses on the entire drive, from purchasing plants to managing manpower and transportation through private nurseries, it claimed that arrangements have been made for the valuation and monitoring post-afforestation.
“Those possessing job cards under MANREGA have been assigned task to ensure safety of the plants and are designated as ‘plant guards’. They will be paid minimum wages as per the government rule for three to five years. The gram panchayats have been provided funds to supervise the work and quality monitors will inspect these locations to ensure proper security to the saplings”, the officials said.
Apart from forest department, non-government organisations (NGOs), self-help groups (SHGs) and social organisation would also help conserve the plants, said officials.