CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, July 5: Six cities in Jharkhand have been chosen as part of the Center’s ambitious “Nagar Van” or urban forest program, which will be introduced on July 9 in 75 cities across the nation, according to a forest official.
The project is being introduced in six cities in Jharkhand, which are Ranchi, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, and Giridih.
“Jharkhand’s six cities are among the 75 cities in the country selected under the ‘Nagar Van’ scheme, which will be launched by the Centre on July 9. The scheme will start with a ceremonial plantation. “Around 75 saplings will be planted in each Nagar Van on the very first day to mark the 75-year celebration of Indian Independence,” Sanjeev Kumar, additional principal chief conservator of forest, CAMPA, Jharkhand, informed earlier in an interview.
According to Kumar, the project’s goals are to increase green space in urban settings and improve the environment in cities by reducing pollution, providing cleaner air, reducing noise, harvesting rainwater, and reducing the impact of heat islands.
The scheme is important for states like Jharkhand, where the number of trees is diminishing. According to an examination of data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the state’s tree cover has decreased by 47 sq km during the last ten years.
In Jharkhand, one Nagar Van will be built on 30 hectares of land in the Baram area of Ranchi, and another will be built on 22.93 hectares of land in the Kandra neighbourhood of Bokaro. Apart from these, it will be built on 9.59 hectares in the Damodarpur neighbourhood of Dhanbad, 50 hectares in the Jagadishpur neighbourhood of Hazaribag, 15 hectares in the Baliguma neighbourhood of Jamshedpur, and 11.17 hectares in the Kalyandih neighbourhood of Giridih.
These cities are some of the most polluted in Jharkhand, with Dhanbad at the top of the list. Dhanbad was one of 102 non-attainment localities selected by the Center for the National Clear Air Program in 2019.
