Kolhapur: The forest department has received a good response in the district for the tree plantation drive at the centres which are selling saplings at a nominal rate.The forest department has identified 13 spots where saplings will be sold for purchase till June 30. By then, the department aims to sell around 1.5 lakh saplings.Prabhu Nath Shukla, deputy conservator of forest, Kolhapur said, "We are selling saplings at your doorstep and at 13 sapling distribution centres across the district. Each centre is given a target of selling 10,000 saplings each at a nominal rate of Rs 8. We have received a good response since we opened the centres on June 25. Those interested in buying saplings can visit these centres and purchase the saplings as per their choice and availability."The saplings are sold between 10am and 7pm and the saplings will be planted during 'Van Mahotsav' from July 1 to 7 in the district. "We aim to plant four crore saplings in the state in that one week," said Shukla.Four centres have been set up in Kolhapur city — at Bindu chowk, Shivaji University, Rankala Lake and near Pitali Ganapati chowk at Tarabai park. "We have not gathered information about how many saplings have been sold from these centres so far but will collect the data on June 30," added Shukla.The forest department aims to plant 8.19 lakh saplings in the Kolhapur district, of which they will plant 4 lakh. Meanwhile, the target for gram panchayats is 1.77 lakh saplings. Every individual will get five saplings and organisations will get 25 saplings.To spread awareness about the plantation drive, the forest department has a bus with all the details about the scheme touring across the state. The bus entered Kolhapur on Tuesday and toured across various chowks in the city and then headed towards Sindhudurg.

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