General Secretary Punjab Heritage & Education Foundation
Hon’ble Minister for Forest, G.O. Punjab.
The Mission Green Punjab taken up on initiative of Hon’ble Chief Minister, Punjab, with your able assistance is laudable. The Punjab Environment Society (working since last 25 yrs) has been providing assistance to the state on formulation of suitable policies in overall welfare of its residents.
The news appeared that State Forest Department of Punjab & S.G.P.C signed an agreement in continuity of earlier arrangements, promoting plantations in line with policy decision for GREEN PUNJAB MISSION .The variety for plants to be supplied appears to have been left to FOREST department .Furtherance to this effort ,it has been informed by your good self through Press release, on 1st July 2013 that 9800 Hectares area in villages across the Punjab & 3021 Hectares area for this purpose, in the institutions has been identified for GREEN PUNJAB plan implementations. The total area worked out has been declared to be 12,821 Hectares i.e. 32,052 acres.
The average plantation in Agriculture Farming utilize 500 plants per hectare for POPLAR TREE plant variety but EUCLYPTUS plantation is for 1000 plants per hectare .Punjab Forest has plans to provide 15 – 18 variety of Tree plants with average life between 7 to 30 years .The 2-3 FRUIT verities plantations to be provided ,may constitute about just 5% share in total plant samplings & land .Thus total plantation PROJECT with present data notified by Forest at best provide opportunity to plant maximum one Cr plantation against declaration ,considering FIVE Crs each year for continuous EIGHT years, resulting in about 40 Crs !
We wish to draw kind attention of the state to take advantage from the study paper prepared in by Society in MAY 2013 & sent for appropriate actions to different authorities. The enclosed copy will be found relevant to adjust actual data for available land / feasibility for plantation – Zones for specific variety of Fruit plants on the basis of soil culture .Some of the Fruit bearing varieties of Plants may not be feasible for Punjab at all but the area identified for plantation must be utilized consciously providing utility fruits to coming generations to all Punjab.The following steps may add VALUE to improve Quality implementations:
A ) Forest alone may not succeed independently to past experience for plantation & numbers for survival plants. Revenue department may be associated with Forest for ground work. Respective Area Tehsildar with help of Kanugo/Patwari could get tree samplings plantation on dividing agriculture boundary land as PILLAR & maintain records for survivals.
B ) The plantation for four tree plants in the corners of each acre of agriculture land plot will not be harmful to the normal crop ,thus could be made mandatory for coming 20 years wef 1st April 2014 onwards . The entries may be made mandatory along with entry for crop.
C ) Entries for actual number Forestry /Fruit /Flower bearing trees on agriculture land may be made compulsory for better implementation of programme .
D ) Housing colony developers to be associated ensuring provision for one tree in each plat size minimum 200 sq yards as mandatory for final clearance of construction project to the drawings .
E ) Sarpanch for villages may be assigned duties to plant & monitor all Tree plantations on village approach roads /phirnies /common land etc.
Therefore, the original MISSION for FIVE Crs plantation each year, need to be relayed accordingly. Department of FOREST in consultation with Horticulture & P.A.U., Revenue departments could be asked to prepare BLUE PRINT; which plant & to what quantity to be provided for Panchyat land or Institutional area, keeping in mind the responsibility for maintenance, space to be covered on plant growth & utilities for coming generations .Punjab has seen Mango plants in Anandpur Sahib – Ropar belt till 1980’s which was got planted with original initiative of BRITISH managers. Most of Mango trees stood removed in the process of competitiveness for higher crop yield by farming community of this area.
Therefore, APPEAL is to utilize ‘Green Mission’ efforts to ‘FRUIT & FLOWER PUNJAB‘state under larger umbrella of ‘Green Punjab’.
Best wishes.
Sincerely Yours
Nirmal Singh Keerka ,
Gen Secretary, Punjab Heritage & Education Foundation.
gnanaktimes2aajtak@gmail.co. Cell 9876122122
Copy of the above is sent herewith to the P.S. for Forest for kind information & appropriate amendments in procedures for implementation for GREEN PUNJAB MISSON, declared by Hon’ble C.M. Punjab.