Tirupati district to set up Greening Corporation to achieve 50% green cover

Tirupati: Tirupati district will establish a District Greening Corporation to expand green cover from the present 41 per cent to 50 per cent by 2047. At the first review meeting with officials from Forest, Agriculture, Horticulture, Roads and Buildings, Irrigation and other departments on Friday, Joint Collector R Govinda Rao said the corporation would coordinate tree plantation and conservation activities across the district. Its registration will be completed under the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2001, in line with the state government’s AP-GREEN guidelines.

He said the corporation would promote tree planting on agricultural lands, in residential and institutional premises, industrial areas, along roads and in rural areas. It would also support the development of urban parks, botanical gardens, sacred groves and other green spaces.

The corporation would work with government departments, local bodies, industries and other agencies to implement these programmes.

The plan also includes registering and accrediting nurseries to ensure the supply of quality plants, restoring land damaged by mining and industrial pollution, and using geo-tagging, artificial intelligence and information technology to monitor plantation and tree survival. The corporation would also promote the relocation of mature trees wherever possible during road expansion and other development works.

Social Forestry Officer Pavan Kumar said Tirupati district needs to expand its green cover by another 70,000 hectares to reach the 50 percent target. The district has set a target of planting 53 lakh saplings this year, while 11 Forest Department nurseries currently have around eight lakh plants available.

He said the department plans to develop avenue plantations along 300 kilometres of roads over the next three years. It also aims to undertake green cover development across 3,350 hectares in coastal areas over five years. Plantation and maintenance activities will be monitored through the Mission Haritha Andhra Pradesh mobile application, which will record planting details and

geo-tag locations.

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