GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 7th July: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched the Mission 70 Lakh Plantation campaign in Delhi under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, announcing a series of measures to transform the capital into a greener and more sustainable city.
Launching the plantation drive at the Central Ridge and Nanakpura Ridge, Shah said the Delhi Government will replace invasive species with native trees such as peepal, banyan, neem, arjun and jamun to transform the Ridge into the “lungs of Delhi” over the next three years. He also announced legal protection for 5,000 hectares of the Ridge area, which has now been notified as forest land.
The Home Minister said more than 70 ponds, water bodies and archaeological sites in the Ridge would be restored, while themed forests would also be developed as part of the rejuvenation project.
Highlighting environmental initiatives, Shah said the government aims to ensure that no cow dung enters the Yamuna by converting dairy waste into biogas and organic manure through an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). He also urged citizens to participate in the plantation campaign through the newly launched Green Drive Portal.
During the event, Shah flagged off 300 electric buses, inaugurated three new bus depots and automated vehicle testing centres, and laid the foundation stone for a high-security prison at Narela. He said these initiatives, along with Delhi’s EV policy and Yamuna rejuvenation programme, would help realise the vision of a Green Delhi.
