Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today launched a ‘mass plantation drive’ and inaugurated as well as laid the foundation stones for various development projects in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency of Gujarat.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Amit Shah said that over one crore trees have been planted by citizens in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency alone today. In addition, 50 lakh trees have been planted across Ahmedabad city. He said the campaign aims to create a greener environment, ensure clean air and pure water, and preserve a high-quality, livable Earth and land.
Shri Shah said that the campaign to plant 1.25 crore trees has evolved from being just a slogan into a people's movement. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's call of "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" has quickly grown into a people's movement, and the entire nation is embracing his mantra of "People, Planet with Progress."
Shri Amit Shah said that the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have planted over seven crore trees across the country over the past seven years. He added that a large-scale tree plantation drive was also undertaken in Delhi two days ago. He said the trees planted are native to India's ecological conditions and include species with a lifespan of more than 100 years.
Shri Shah said the objective of the plantation drive is to naturally transform Ahmedabad into a greener city. He informed that the Gandhinagar region earlier had 12 Oxygen Parks, while 61 new Oxygen Parks were inaugurated today, taking the total number to 73 in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
Similarly, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation inaugurated 101 Oxygen Parks in a single day. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has introduced a special vehicle service under a scientific initiative to deliver saplings directly to the homes of citizens who wish to plant trees.
He said no campaign can succeed without public participation. He said that this tree plantation campaign will reduce Ahmedabad's temperature by at least 5 percent compared to other cities in the coming years. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Modi's slogan, "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam," is the only path towards environmental conservation.
He urged every citizen to plant a tree and help preserve the ozone layer for future generations. He also said that Sanand, Gandhinagar, Kalol and Ahmedabad city have together increased green cover by 11.23 percent in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency and have resolved to increase it to 20 percent by 2029.
Shri Amit Shah said that achieving 20 percent green cover in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency is a collective responsibility. He noted that Gandhinagar has the highest number of solar rooftop installations among all Lok Sabha constituencies.
He urged the residents of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar to ensure that not a single house, apartment or rooftop remains without a solar rooftop installation. He said that 22 development projects were inaugurated and the foundation stones for seven projects were laid today.
Shri Shah added that 325 new AMTS and BRTS buses will help reduce carbon emissions and that, following today's inauguration, Ahmedabad will no longer have any buses that cause pollution. Union Home Minister said that development projects worth ₹28,492 crore have been completed in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency so far.
These include projects worth ₹7,030 crore in Ghatlodia, ₹2,670 crore in Vejalpur, ₹2,149 crore in Sabarmati, ₹3,262 crore in Naranpura, ₹2,800 crore in Sanand, ₹4,300 crore in Gandhinagar North and ₹2,003 crore in Kalol. Appealing to the people of Ahmedabad city and the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Shri Shah urged them not to leave even a single corner of their housing societies without a tree.
He said that planting trees to create a livable planet for future generations should be the collective goal. He also urged citizens to ensure that every house is equipped with a solar rooftop installation.