By Santhi Kumari A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree can’t grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon – Dalai Lama A golden chapter has opened in the greening initiative of Telangana; with lakhs of people from various sections of society – from people’s representatives […]
By Santhi Kumari
A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree can’t grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon – Dalai Lama
A golden chapter has opened in the greening initiative of Telangana; with lakhs of people from various sections of society – from people’s representatives to the general public and employees – making a voluntary contribution to the newly established ‘Telangana Haritha Nidhi’ and becoming financial partners in the ongoing plantation movement ‘Telanganaku Haritha Haram’.
It all started in 2015 when Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao envisioned ‘Telanganaku Haritha Haram’ (Green Garland to Telangana). The programme was announced after days of intensive intellectual churning to incorporate innovative and sustainable features into the design of Haritha Haram so as to involve all sections of society – at the community and individual level, geographies (rural & urban) and cover a range of potential areas inside and outside forests. The major goal is to enhance the forest cover to 33% of the geographical area of the State.
With increased awareness about global warming, plantation drives have intensified throughout the country. Most of these initiatives have met with limited success due to a variety of reasons, including absence of a comprehensive design, post-planting care, inconsistent approach and above all, positioning it as a supply-driven government programme.
However, Telanganaku Haritha Haram has stood out by following a people-centric, demand-driven model that is fully backed by political commitment. Telanganaku Haritha Haram follows an ‘end to end’ implementation model that encompasses raising nurseries, plantation, protecting the plant with a tree guard, watering, watch and ward arrangement and replacement of casualties. The plantation projects are geotagged, tracked on an online platform and are subject to independent evaluation. The key players are local bodies, both panchayats and municipalities, including municipal corporations with the administrative and technical backstopping provided by all government departments. As a result, any vacant land prima facie is a potential candidate for plantation. The strategy is twin-track: to plant both inside and outside the forest.
Urban Forest Parks
As regards plantations inside the forest, the emphasis is on rejuvenation of the existing forest by taking up gap plantations. But the highlight of this intervention is ‘Urban Forest Parks’. In the wake of rapid urbanisation, forest blocks near urban areas have become most vulnerable to encroachments as well as tree felling. This ‘threat’ is converted into ‘opportunity’. At 179 locations, 1.77 lakh acres of forest land was evaluated on a scale of vulnerability. Based on this threat perception, their boundary is protected either by constructing a permanent wall or by a chain-link fence or by digging a 2mx2m trench.
A range of developmental activities is taken up such as high-density plantations, modifying inspection paths so that they can serve as walking tracks too. Basic facilities like washrooms are created. Part of the area inside the urban forest parks is opened to the public for a small gate fee. Local people visit the forest, enjoy morning/evening walks and have a quiet rendezvous with nature. Thus, a stake is created for the local community, which costs them a very small sum but gives them access to an invaluable asset. This has resulted in the creation of a positive self-reinforcing cycle, wherein local people feel the ownership of the forest, become partners in its development and, what is more, their protectors.
Green Budget
As regards plantations outside the forest, the game-changer is; the strategy that rests on 4 pillars, namely, green budget, local nurseries, watering tankers and holding elected representatives accountable. Towards this, mandatory provisions are created in the newly enacted statutes governing gram panchayats and municipalities; most important being compulsory spending of 10% of their budget on plantation activities called ‘the Green Budget’, ensuring a minimum of 80% survival failing which, the elected representatives are liable for removal from office.
This legislative framework backed by the Green Budget has resulted in the establishment of over 15,000 nurseries in villages, municipal wards etc, making the plant material available at the doorsteps in time. It led to the development of village parks (Palle Prakruthi Vanam), avenue plantations all along rural and urban roads and plantations inside homesteads. Needless to mention that for all government departments, greening their institutions is a key responsibility.
The State’s innovative plantation models are hi-density and multi-level avenue plantations which are aimed at creating denser canopies. With the onset of rains, families demand plants for their homesteads and institutions for community plantations. Thus, the Telanganaku Haritha Haram has blossomed beyond the boundaries of government and has become a people’s green movement.
An interesting spin-off of Haritha Haram is, on all important occasions, people have started gifting plants instead of flower bouquets. Birthdays of leaders are celebrated by taking up massive plantation drive. A few celebrities have also come forward to adopt forest blocks and rejuvenate them.
Green Fund
Given the phenomenal success of Haritha Haram, the Chief Minister announced yet another path-breaking initiative of setting up ‘Telangana Haritha Nidhi’, a dedicated Green Fund, which aims at developing plantation infrastructure as well as projects on a much bigger scale, providing sustainability in the long run which will further enhance the green and forest cover of the State. The fund will be free from budget control.
Monies into this fund would be accrued by way of contributions from the elected representatives to the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, zilla parishad, mandal parishad and gram panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations as well as from all government employees and the people of Telangana. A certain fixed amount is levied on the services provided by the government such as licences issued to businesses, registration of properties and work contracts of the government.
With the creation of such an independent and regular fund flow, a sure and sustainable lifeline has been created for plantation programmes.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .