Who will be responsible for the 258 crore rupees spent on Harita Haram? 50 percent of the saplings have died. The plants are dying due to negligence of municipal authorities.
In 2015, the Telangana state government launched the Harita Haram program with the goal of protecting ecological balance and improving rainfall. The program aims to maintain biodiversity, purify air, and conserve soil. In Gadwal district, 255 Gram Panchayat nurseries have been established in every village. The government plans to plant saplings at the beginning of each rainy season. Over the past nine years, more than 2.87 crore saplings have been planted in Gadwal district through the Harita Haram program, costing over 258 crore rupees.
The district authorities have spent crores of rupees on various plants for the Harita Haram program. Plants like pomegranate, lime, dates, blueberry, teak, neem, gulmohar, and tamarind were purchased for 80 to 120 rupees each. On average, around 100 rupees were spent per plant, totaling about 280 crore rupees over the past nine years.
Now, many of the plants along roadsides are dried up and thousands more are at risk of dying due to lack of watering. The district residents are urging the government to take action to protect the trees planted under Harita Haram and prevent wastage of public funds.
