Jalandhar administration plans to set up 22 nurseries for shrinking green cover in district

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 4

To add to Jalandhar’s shrinking green cover, the district administration has decided to establish 22 nurseries, two in each block of the district, in the current fiscal.

The administration will incur Rs1.35 crore for the development of these nurseries and the work on 14 nurseries has already started under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Vishesh Sarangal said these nurseries would have saplings of kaler, gulmohar, sukhchain, pipal, sheesham, shahtoot, neem, dek and other plants and trees. He said earlier, the administration had to depend upon the Forest Department and other private agencies for saplings, but now, the saplings would be brought directly from these nurseries to be developed by the administration.

Sarangal said plantation drives were being carried out in villages regularly, which was important, as the shrinking green cover was a major concern for everybody, which poses a serious hazard to the environment and human health. He said the gram panchayats concerned would be responsible for the maintenance of these nurseries with the technical support from the Forest Department.

He said the work of the remaining eight nurseries would be started soon, as the work of identification of suitable land had been finished.