Centre inspired by Telangana’s welfare programmes, says KTR

MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao said ‘Nagar Van’ wad being implemented on the lines of State government’s urban forest parks programme

Hyderabad: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao on Thursday said the Central government, impressed with Telangana’s welfare and developmental programmes, was implementing similar schemes across the country.

After Telangana launched Mission Bhagiratha to provide safe drinking water to every household in the State, the Union government came up with the Jal Jeevan programme. Impressed by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s Rythu Bandhu programme, the Centre was now implementing Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana, benefitting nearly 16 crore farmers, he said.

The latest programme being planned is ‘Nagar Van’ inspired by Telangana government’s urban forest parks development programme, the Minister pointed out, addressing a gathering after the launch of Amberpet Kalan Urban Forest Park.

The Minister appealed to the people to actively participate in Haritha Haram programme and urged them not to consider it as a government programme.

“Haritha Haram is meant to increase the green cover in the State and not to derive any political mileage,” he said. This programme was to ensure a safe environment for future generations and save the planet, he said.

Pointing out that the Forest Survey of India, in its report, said that green cover in Telangana had increased from 23 per cent to 28 per cent in the last few years, he said adding this was possible only because of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s vision and effective implementation of Haritha Haram. The target was to increase the green cover to 33 percent, he said.

The State government was not confining to plantation of saplings but was giving equal importance to their survival. Towards this, the new Municipal Act and Panchayat Raj Act were enacted and it was made mandatory for the local bodies to allocate 10 per cent of budget as Green budget. Further, rules have been framed in a way to take action against sarpanches or respective councilors or corporators, if the saplings survival was ensured as per norms, he informed.

Forest Minister A Indrakaran Reddy said the State government had set up 15,500 nurseries and no other State in the country had set up so many nurseries. So far, 220 crore saplings had been planted under Haritha Haram at a total cost of Rs 5,900 crore. This year, the target was to plant 20 crore saplings and distribute six saplings to each household, said the Minister.

The State government has entrusted the task of developing 16 urban forest blocks to Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) for ensuring vast green cover, besides recreation facilities in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas within a radius of 100 kms.

The objective is to protect forest blocks with peripheral fencing and to increase viable lung spaces with many areas in and around Hyderabad turning into concrete jungles. The proposed components in development of Urban Forest Blocks include See through Wall, Entrance Arches, Walk and Path ways, Gazebos, Nature Interpretation Centre, Watch towers, wash rooms and plantations.

The development of these 16 Urban Parks is being taken up with an out lay of Rs.11,662.73 lakhs. Of this, till June 2021, Rs. 7352.83 lakh was spent.

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