AP to spend Rs 250 crore on 'social forestation'

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that Rs 250 crore would be spent under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme ( MNREGS) for ' social forestation'.

The scheme would be soon implemented in government-owned waste-lands and vacant lands outside forest areas, the chief minister said after launching a 'two-million saplings plantation' programme at Medipally village in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district as a part of the 62nd Vana-mahotsavam celebrations.

Expressing concern over the growth of "concrete jungles" in the urban areas, the Chief Minister favoured framing of new construction guidelines to make it mandatory to reserve space for planting trees in apartment complexes.

He appealed to parents to encourage the kids to plant at least five saplings. "If we plant and protect trees they will in turn protect us," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, state forests minister S Vijayram Raju said that Rs 28.64 crore were collected as fine in 43,700 cases of illegal tree-felling.

Home minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, MLAs B Raji Reddy, K Srisailam Goud and others participated in the function.