1.5 lakh saplings to be planted in 27 schools of Vikarabad

Vikarabad: The State government has prepared an action plan to plant saplings on the school campuses as part of the Haritha Haram with the support of the Forest department. Education department has identified 27 schools in the district that have at least half an acre of vacant space to plant saplings as part of the fourth phase of the tree plantation programme.

There are about 1,035 schools in the district with a total student strength of over 1,52,989. Of them, 27 schools with vacant sites have been identified. The schools identified are 18 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and nine model schools. The Education department has been given a target of 1.50 lakh to plant saplings. Arrangements are underway to plant only those saplings that the students love the most. The officials are of the view that planting the choicest saplings of the students would automatically involve students in nursing them properly.

Of the total saplings to be planted, 30 per cent are that of fruit- bearing saplings while the rest are flower-bearing trees. Nursing the saplings became a difficult task as there will be none in the schools during summer because of vacation. Objective of the Haritaharam would be fulfilled only when the saplings are nursed during summer.

As there would be none in the schools during the summer vacation, nursing them would be difficult.Normally schools will have drinking water facilities alone, but no facility to water the plants. There is a need to make special arrangements to water the plants. The education department has designed the programme in such a way to complete digging pits by July 15. With the advent of rains, plans are being chalked out to plant saplings in government schools.