GB Nagar plants over nine lakh saplings in massive plantation drive

Noida: Contributing to Uttar Pradesh government's massive plantation drive, with a target of 25 crore saplings across the state, the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration, forest department and all the three authorities on Sunday unitedly performed the exercise and planted over nine lakh saplings of various species in a single day at various sectors, wetlands, greenbelts and parks around the district.

The Noida Authority recorded a benchmark by planting 2,76,484 saplings in a single day. The plantation drive was carried out at 63 places in Noida including green belts, sectors, bio-diversity parks, Central verge and roadside plantations at almost all the major roads and footpaths of Noida. The authority started the plantation program from Sector 99 by CEO Ritu Maheshwari and Sector 116 by Chief Guest Dr Mahesh Sharma, MP, GB Nagar and Pankaj Singh, Noida MLA.

"This is by far the maximum plantation in a single day in the history of Noida. The authority has mainly focused on the survival of these plants for which the maximum of these saplings have been planted in enclosed areas and in areas where chances of damage are less. The authority is working on increasing the green cover in the city by identifying more areas to be developed into green belts," Maheshwari told Millennium Post.

A senior officer of Gautam Buddh Nagar District forest department said the GB Nagar district was given a target of planting 9.17 lakhs saplings around the district in a single-day drive on Sunday which has successfully been achieved. Officials thanked local residents and RWAs for their efforts as this could not have been achieved without them.

Meanwhile, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority made its contribution by planting 52,000 saplings in Greater Noida city while the Yamuna Expressway Authority planted nearly 1.12 lakh saplings in their jurisdiction.