District Administration appoints 1297 van-mitras to upkeep 2.69 lakh saplings planted in Ferozepur

Ferozepur: To ensure proper upkeep of the 2.69 lakh saplings planted in all 836 Panchayats of Ferozepur district to commemorate 550th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji last year, the district administration has deployed 1297 Van Mitras, who were ensuring proper protection and watering of the saplings besides safety from animals.

Divulging the details, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu said that last year, as a humble and befitting tribute to Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji on his 550th Parkash Purab, a special drive was started by the district administration to enhance green cover and combat increasing pollution threat. He said that under the drive 550 plants were planted in each village which accounts for 2,69,295 saplings in the district. He added that these 2.69 Lakh saplings include 28145 in Ferozepur development block, 63850 in GhallKhurd, 4410 in Guruharsahai, 48020 in Makhu, 53080 in Mamdot and 32100 in Zira development block.

Pointing out further, District Development and Panchayat Officer, Harjinder Singh said that all 1297 Van Mitras were engaged by district administration under Mahatma Gandhi-National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) and there was no paucity of funds for this project. He said that the district administration has laid special focus to plant more and more saplings and preserve earlier planted saplings ahead of the monsoon season so that survival and growth rate of the plants was higher. He said that BDPOs of the district also monitor the performance of Van Mitras to ensure the growth of the saplings.