By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: With lakhs of trees are expected to fall after the auction of 41 coal blocks barring few, spread across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch Vriksharopan Abhiyan in the presence of Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary affairs, Pralhad Joshi in New Delhi on Thursday.
During the launch event, Union Home Minister will inaugurate and lay the Foundation stone of 6 Ecoparks/ Tourism sites. The event will take place through Video Conferencing across more than 130 locations spread in 38 Districts of 10 coal/lignite bearing States.
Vriksharopan Abhiyan will be organized by Ministry of Coal involving all Coal/Lignite PSUs tomorrow during which large scale plantation would be carried out in mines, colonies, offices and other suitable areas of Coal/Lignite PSUs and seedlings will be distributed in the nearby areas for promoting plantation by the society.
The eco-parks/tourism sites would provide avenues for recreation, adventure, water sport, bird watching etc. for the people residing in nearby areas and may also be integrated to form part of tourism circuit. These sites are being planned to generate revenue for self-sustenance and create employment potential for local people.
Going Green is the key thrust area of coal sector involving maximization of green cover through ecological reclamation of mined out areas and overburden dumps, plantation in and around mines and avenue plantationat suitable places.Ministry’s Going Green initiative will kick start through active participation of coal/lignite PSUs as well as private miners.
This year, three coal/lignite PSUs i.e. Coal India Limited( CIL), NLC India Limited ( NLCIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd ( SCCL) have set an ambitious target to cover 1789 Ha of area in and around the coalfields under bio-reclamation/plantation (1626 Ha), creation of grass land (70 Ha), Hi-tech Cultivation (90 Ha) and Bamboo Plantation (3 Ha).
