THANE: In the month-long state-wide mega tree plantation drive which will kick-start on July 1, the Thane forest department has set a target of planting as many as 35 lakh saplings across the district.While this mega drive, which will be inaugurated by the CM Devendra Fadnavis and other dignitaries at Kalyan’s Varap village in the morning, will see a plantation of 13 crore saplings, the Thane district has been given a target of 33.5 lakh plantations of local plant species all through the forest, urban and rural pockets within in.The Thane forest department has, however, raised their target to 35 lakh trees. Speaking about this mega drive deputy conservator of forests Dr. Jitendra Ramgaokar said, “While the target given to the government and citizen bodies in Thane district is 33.5 lakh, we has hoping to surpass it. Of this lot, the officials from the forest department will be planting around 23.5lakh saplings in the forest areas, while another 4.6 lakh saplings will be planted by the gramin panchayat int the vacant spaces in their areas. The remaining will be planted by NGOs, citizens’ groups, etc.”“We have identified a cumulative stretch of around 2,000 hectares of land at 450 locations including talukas such as Murbad, Badlapur, Bhiwandi, etc where this plantation can take place,” Dr. Ramgaokar added. As opposed to buying saplings from nurseries, the Thane forest department, will be using the saplings they have been raising in their nurseries since last year’s state-wide tree plantation drive.“We have our own nurseries across various talukas across the district. Last year we began raising lakhs of seedlings across these nurseries. ,” explained DCF Dr. Ramgaokar.The forest department has also put up Van Mahotsav Seva Kendras at 15 places across the district, including one at the Kopri forest department and one at the Talao Pali range office in the lake-city, wherein citizens and NGOs planning to join in this drive can buy small saplings at Rs.8 for the smaller ones and Rs.40 for the bigger plants.

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