Odisha to undertake massive plantation before monsoon

By Baishnab Jena

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to undertake massive plantation drive before the onset of the coming monsoon. Plantation will be taken up in at least two lakh hectares with an estimated cost of Rs 183 crore, official sources said.

In 2011-12, plantation was undertaken in 1.82 lakh hectares with an expenditure of Rs 160 crore.

The target for avenue plantation during the current fiscal was fixed at 1600 km as against 769 km done during 2011-2012, the sources added.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who chaired a high level meeting on afforestation programme on May 20, asked forest officials to ensure adequate supervision of the programme so that saplings were properly nourished.

Senior forest officers, who attended the meeting, explained the plans relating to afforestation, avenue plantation, raising of saplings and utilisation of funds under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Plantation Authority (CAMPA).

The meeting also discussed urban plantation and beautification activities. It decided that plantation would be taken up in 28 towns this fiscal, as against 12 towns where it was taken up during last financial year.

Around three lakh saplings would be planted in different educational institutions and other places.

Odisha has seen a decent increase in spread of forest cover in recent times. Since 2009, the state has added 48 sq km of forest cover. It is spread over a geographical area of 1.55 lakh sq km and has a forest area of 48,903 sq km. Of this, 7,060 sq km is very dense, 21,366 is moderately dense and 20,477 sq km open forest.