50,000 trees, 5.50 lakh shrubs planted so far this fiscal in Delhi: DDA

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said Saturday it has planted 50,000 trees and 5,50,000 shrubs in the 2024-25 fiscal year so far across the city and is taking steps to ensure the saplings are nurtured sufficiently to achieve optimal survival.

In a statement, the DDA said that as per its regular practice of greening Delhi, it is conducting plantation drives and awareness camps with the advent of the monsoons with the support of local people, schoolchildren and public representatives among others.

A plantation drive was undertaken on Saturday in Dwarka at the DDAs Sector-19B housing development complex. Similar drives were recently undertaken in District Park and Lake, G17, Paschim Vihar. It has also organised the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign at the District Park Vikaspuri as part of its plantation programme.

A similar programme was organised at DDA's Jahanpanah City Forest, with the help of school students recently, the statement said.

A tree plantation drive was also organised at Kalindi Aviral Extension, marking a major step towards restoring the Yamuna Floodplains and District Park Sheesh Mahal Shalimar Bagh. Besides, a plantation drive was organised in Park Number 2 at Sector-6, Dwarka and a programme was conducted at the green belt near Shahpur village, Narela, it said.

The DDA maintains around 733 parks, seven biodiversity parks, the Yamuna floodplains and roadside greens, thereby playing a crucial role in keeping the national capital green, the agency said.

"Every year during the monsoon season, the DDA organises a plantation program, planting native trees and shrubs on a large scale to preserve and expand the city's green areas. For the financial year 2024-25, the DDA has set a plantation target of 11 lakh plants, including about 94,000 trees and 10 lakh shrubs. DDA has already achieved nearly 55 per cent of this target, having planted around 6,05,109 trees and shrubs so far," the statement said.

About 21,552 acres of Delhi are under green cover, of which 10,490 acres belong to DDA. In 2023-24, the DDA has planted more than 8.8 lakh trees and shrubs, it added. PTI NIT IJT IJT