72 lakh saplings planted on 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak in 2019, 50% survive

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, November 22

More than 50 per cent of the 72 lakh tree saplings that were planted by the previous Congress government during the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak in 2019 have not survived.

The saplings of fruit and shady trees had been provided by the Forest Department in over 12,000 villages. The target was to provide 550 saplings in every village. The services of labourers had been taken to plant these under the MGNREGA scheme.

Maintenance not our job

Our job was only to provide saplings to villages. The plantation and maintenance part was with the Rural Development Department. —Raman Kant Mishra, Principal chief conservator of forests

Enquiries reveal that the survival rate of the saplings was less in Sultanpur Lodhi, which was then the centrepoint of the gurpurb celebrations. Then Congress MLA Navtej Cheema said, “I am aware of the fact that majority of the trees have not survived. But in my native Busowal village, we took care of these and, in four-five years, most of these grew like trees.”

Enquiries from sarpanches also point out that most villages did not receive saplings. Sarpanch Mewa Singh of Khotran village in Nawanshahr and sarpanch Kashmir Singh of Alipur village of Jalandhar said they had not got any saplings in the scheme. Kashmir said, “Since the sapling size was too small, I was apprehensive of their survival and had refused to take them.”

Harpal Singh, sarpanch of Pathlawa village of Nawanshahr said, “We had got 550 saplings under the scheme but only a few could survive as many got damaged due to farm fires.”

Sarpanch Sarabjit Singh Sabi of Moga village in Jalandhar said, “In our village, more than 250 of the 550 saplings got damaged as these were planted along the banks of a canal where the ‘gujjars’ take their animals.”

Raman Kant Mishra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Punjab, said, “As per the scheme, our job was only to provide the saplings to the villagers. The plantation and maintenance part was with the Rural Development Department.”

Officials of the department have blamed panchayats and the Block Development Officers for having failed in taking care of the plants.

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