Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the LIT campus would be converted into an oxygen park soon after launching a plantation of one lakh saplings on behalf of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) across the country.
On Sunday, the plantation drive began at the Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) LIT Campus near Amravati Road.
Gadkari stated that instead of cutting trees, focus is being given on tree transplanting, with 12,000 trees successfully transplanted on the Dwarka Express Highway thus far.
A proposal was given to Union.Ministry of Forest and Environment to authorise each.institution to set up a tree bank.through which the complete information of the trees will be.maintained. If one tree is to be transplanted, five new trees will have to be planted and if one tree is to be cut, ten trees have to be planted.
The Minister explained the efforts of plantation taken by his National Highways Ministry and exhorted people to come forward and participate in this national programme, looking at the need of curbing rising pollution. To maintain transparency in plantation, a digital app, ‘Haritpath’ is in place showing the actual photo and location of the plants. So far the NHAI has planted 2.75 crore plants.
In 2021-22, NHAI had planted 72 lakh plants while during this year 75 lakh plants will be planted.
“The office of Remote Sensing Application in city
has been instructed to collect the information of trees according to each district, metropolis, village panchayat, municipality,†said Gadkari. Henceforth, those District Magistrates, Mayors, Municipal Commissioners, Municipal Council Presidents, Sarpanch who plant more trees in their jurisdiction will be rewarded.This will encourage large scale plantation of trees. He also suggested that the university should plant a tree from each student. Ashok Kumar Jain, Advisor, NHAI, said, tree plantation activities are being implemented in 100 places across the country on the occasion of Swatantrya Amrit Mahotswani.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Subhash Chaudhary said
that the varsity has provided space to three agencies for tree plantation. He also said that the doors of the university are open for public works and programs like Gram Chalo Abhiyan, Indian
Science Congress will be taken up in the centenary year of Nagpur University.
Dr Sugandha Garve conducted the programme while Borkar proposed vote of thanks.
Officials of NHAI, PWD, members of Green Foundation, Alumni Association of LIT took
efforts for making the program a grand event.
Afterwards Advisor NHAI Shri Jain , Social Forestry officials, NHAI officials, Oriental officials and Members of NGO Nishchay, Kalpvriksha, and school students participated in plantation at Jamtha on NH 44.
LIT Alumni Association (LITA) Chyawati and Green Foundation Nagpur in collaboration with Department of Public Works (National Highways Department),T&T Infra-Ltd and Bharat Vikas
Parishad (Smart City Department, Nagpur) organ-
ised the ‘Green Environment Movement (GEM)’ tree plantation initiative.
Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B; Director of Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT ) Dr Raju Mankar; Chairman of LITA, Madhav Labhe; Project Head, Shrikant Gudadhe; Secretary, Utkarsh Khopkar; Dilip Chinchamalatpure of Green Foundation; Former Director of NEERI Dr Satish Wate were also present.
