Tree plantation drive should become a mass movement: Sudhir Mungantiwar

While expressing the target of planting four crore tress in first week of July, Cabinet Minister of Finance, Planning, and Forest Department Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday informed that target for next year would be planting 13 crore trees.

Addressing a review meeting of afforestation drive in Pune Revenue Division, Mungantiwar said that people’s participation was a must for such a massive drive. He said that afforestation was not only the duty of government but it should become a mass movement.

Expressing concern over global warming, the Minister said that environment conservation is not only confined to government and should equally concern the people. Mungantiwar said that after hand-holding by society at large for this tree plantation drive, there is a need to increase the hands involved in tree planting.

The Minister is on tour to address division-wise meetings for achieving target of four crore tree plantation in first week of July. He said that as a minister he has resolved to increase forest cover from 20 per cent to 35 per cent and life would become more difficult if green cover is reduced.

Attendees

Elected representatives including zilla parishad presidents, MLAs, sarpanches, municipal council presidents and officials from all the five districts of Pune Revenue Division were present
Secretary to the department Vikas Kharge, divisional commissioner Chandrakant Dalvi and other officials were present.